M St. Bridge Crossing - 1927-28 Central Valley Route
Posted by: TheBeanTeam
N 38° 34.834 W 121° 30.500
10S E 629928 N 4271288
Co-signed with US 99 and US 40 this crossing point once had the M St. Bridge. A railroad owned bridge that had been built in 1911. It was originally used for both rail traffic and auto traffic. Replaced in 1926 the again with the Tower Bridge in 1935
Waymark Code: WM4AEG
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 07/29/2008
Views: 47
The Lincoln Highway crossed the Sacramento River at this point leaving the City of Sacramento using the M Street Bridge that was formerly at this location. The highway continued on to San Francisco from this crossing point. It is referred to as the 1927-28 Central Valley Route.
The Former 1911 M St. Bridge
Photo Source
1926 M St. Bridge Approach Photo Source
The current bridge at this location wasn't used in the 1927-28 Lincoln Highway alignment since it wasn't built yet. The original 1911 bridge that this bridge replaced in 1926 would have been the one used on the Lincoln Highway segment. The current Tower Bridge was built in 1935.
There are many pieces of infrastructure that are still in place however and are described in depth in this wonderfully detailed history of the crossing point and the Tower Bridge at Highwayman's Road Reports. Here there is a page specifically dedicated to the Bridges over the Sacramento River including the first 1911 bridge built by the Northern Electric Railroad.
Below is a brief history from Wikipedia
:
In March 1926, construction was completed on the M Street Bridge in Sacramento. Seven years later, in 1933, the city realized that it needed a better crossing over the Sacramento River in case of war, and that the existing bridge was highly inadequate to handle heavy traffic. On December 22, 1933, the State of California, Sacramento County, and the Sacramento Northern Electric Railroad (later the Sacramento Northern Railway) held a conference to plan the new bridge. It was to be 52 feet (16 m) wide, with four lanes for cars, and one large center lane for trains.
The Lincoln Highway Association newsletterThe Traveller identifies the bridge location as part of the Central Valley Route. The association has tours of the various Lincoln Highway routes available. Lincoln Highway Route Tours