Depot Street Bridge - Rogue River, OR
N 42° 25.876 W 123° 10.237
10T E 485965 N 4697675
The Depot Street Bridge, also known as the 'New Century Bridge' is the fourth bridge to be built here and spans the Rogue River.
Waymark Code: WMKRDK
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 05/21/2014
Views: 5
Located within John F. Fleming Memorial Park are four historical placards that highlight the history here at Rogue River. One of the placards highlights the history of the bridges that have spanned the Rogue River, the most recent bridge being the arch bridge also known as the 'New Century Bridge' that was erected in 2005. It reads:
A Bridge for the New Century
The graceful, arched Depot Street Bridge, completed in 2005, was built to replace the steel-truss Depot street Bridge, which served the community since 1950. Years of wear and tear, increasing traffic, and larger haul loads took their toll on the older bridge. Load limitations and travel lane configurations no longer met current and future traffic requirements.
Throughout the bridge replacement project, Jackson County worked with local citizens to identify environmental concerns, define adequate capacity and safety issues, and suggest aesthetic qualities desirable for this community bridge.
The new bridge design allows for bike lanes, wide sidewalks, and increased lighting for night travel. The new bridge is wider than the old Depot Street Bridge and includes a center turn lane and two travel lanes for traffic. It meets the legal load limits to accommodate today's traffic demands. The new bridge has seating available for enjoying a view of the Rogue River. The design, a tied-arch span, was selected for its strength, beauty, and environmental appropriations.,
Another twist in the construction of this arch bridge made Oregon history. If you think once a bridge is built, that’s where it has to stay, think again! On September 12, 2006, a new chapter in Oregon bridge construction history was written. The new Depot Street Bridge over the Rogue River near the City of Rogue River in Southern Oregon took a giant leap . . . sideways. The “old” Depot Street Bridge, built in 1956, came to the end of its safe and useful life and made way for the new structure. That’s nothing new in this era of Oregon bridge reconstruction, but there was a twist to this story. The new bridge was built along-side the existing bridge and, after the old structure was demolished, was moved sideways into place at the same location. Cool!