ONLY -- Known Switchback Bridge in Oregon
N 42° 05.519 W 122° 35.382
10T E 533931 N 4660070
Steinman Overcrossing is the only known switchback bridge in Oregon with an 'under and over' traffic route.
Waymark Code: WMV5Q3
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 02/27/2017
Views: 1
Steinman Overcrossing is located near the unincorporated community of Steinman that was once part of the Oregon Pacific Highway before becoming Highway 99 and the main auto route through Siskiyou Pass. This stretch of highway would be replaced with Interstate 5 in the 1960s. This railroad overpass is one of two historic overpasses between the Oregon/California border and Ashland, OR.
There is no date plaque on this overpass and it looks as though the railings have been rehabilitated in recent years, but keeping the original integrity as much as possible.
The Oregon.gov website contains an awesome list of historic bridges in Oregon and has the following to say regarding this bridge:
Steinnam Overcrossing
Constructed on the old Pacific Highway in 1914, the Steinman Overcrossing is a 78-foot reinforced concrete deck girder. The railing design is similar to four structures on the Columbia River Highway, also constructed in 1914. This bridge is the only known switchback on Oregon's highway system where the roadway passes both under and over the structure. The Southern Pacific Railroad also passes under the structure. The overcrossing was constructed for the State Highway Department by J. W. Sweeney, Contractor. The bridge was designed under the auspices of state bridge engineer C.H. Purcell.