San Diego in San Diego County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Cabrillo Bridge
Allen worked with San Francisco engineer Thomas Benton Hunter, Jr. (1880-1955) to design a bridge echoing Spanish traditions and the simplicity and grace of a Roman Aqueduct. It is California's first multiple-arched, cantilever-style span. It is a reinforced concrete structure using hollow piers to support the bridge. The piers cantilever to form the seven arched openings. Four thousand-fifty tons of the steel and 7,700 cubic yards of concrete were used to construct the bridge. It is 40 feet wide, extends 1,505 feet across the canyon and rises 120 feet above the canyon's deepest point. At a dedication on April 12, 1914, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt was among officials making a ceremonial first automobile crossing over the completed bridge.
During the 1915 Exposition, a man-made lagoon at the base of the bridge reflected the arches and was attractively landscaped with aquatic plants. The lagoon was eventually drained to accommodate an increase in automobiles using long-established trail through the floor of Cabrillo Canyon. in 1941 San Diego voters agreed to the incursion of a highway through Balboa Park. By 1948, a freeway passing under the Cabrillo Bridge was completed. A 1962 proposal to double deck the freeway to create eight lanes was repealed.
The Cabrillo bridge was built as one of the permanent 1915 Exposition structures. Major repairs have occurred over the years including fences installed in 1950. In a California Department of Transportation project in 2013, the bridge received a major restoration and seismic retrofit and arches were lighted for the first time. The Cabrillo Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places
Erected 2015 by Friends of Balboa Park.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Parks & Recreational Areas • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical date for this entry is April 12, 1914.
Location. 32° 43.878′ N, 117° 9.451′ W. Marker is in San Diego, California, in San Diego County. Marker is on El Prado, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: San Diego CA 92101, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Balboa Park West Mesa (within shouting distance of this marker); Administration Building (approx. ¼ mile away); The Discovery of California (approx. 0.3 miles away); David Charles Collier (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Balboa Park Club (approx. 0.3 miles away); California Quadrangle (approx. 0.3 miles away); L/CPL Kenneth J. Haywood U.S.M.C. (approx. 0.3 miles away); Agoston Haraszthy (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Diego.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 26, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 3, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. This page has been viewed 144 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 3, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 3. submitted on November 5, 2022. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.