Islais Creek bridge

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Does anyone know know where I can find out when the drawbridge was built over Islais Creek out on 3rd Street near Army (Cesar Chevas)? When I was young, there was another kind there I think, but I'm not sure. Just courious. Jack Leach longone94106@yahoo.com

-- Jack Leach (longone94016@yahoo.com), January 12, 2002

Answers

Have you looked here? They’ve got a boatload of old photos.

http://www.islaiscreek.org/

-- Miss Rosa (rosadebon@yahoo.com), January 14, 2002.


The existing Islais Creek drawbridge was completed and opened to highway traffic March 4, 1950. If you were a kid before that time, you probably saw the old single-leaf bascule bridge that had been there since 1915.

I know you said you are just courious, but if you or any others are interested in those two bridges, other San Francisco or California drawbridges, check the library for the book, California Drawbridges 1853-1995... The Link to California's Maritime Past.

Also log onto the website which has a brief history of San Francisco's many drawbridges, along with photos.

Bernard C. Winn berncwinn@hotmail.com

-- Bernard C. Winn (berncwinn@hotmail.com), January 20, 2002.


The book, "California Drawbridges" has photos of the original (actually the third) Islais Creek bridge that you mentioned. It was a twin of the Lefty O'Doul Bridge, which is a single-leaf Strauss Trunnion bascule bridge, invented by Joseph Strauss of Golden Gate Bridge fame. At this time, the long north-south part of Third Street south of China Basin was called Kentucky Street (the north-south streets in this area have a unifying theme of state names). The art- deco corner structures on the present Islais Creek bridge are the housings for the racks, which mesh with drive pinion gears in the machinery pits, which also house the counterweights.

-- Neil A. Anderson (GeoNeilA@aol.com), March 25, 2002.

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