Foresthill Bridge, Steel cantilever bridge in North Auburn, United States
The Foresthill Bridge is a steel cantilever road bridge over the North Fork American River between Auburn and Foresthill in Placer County, California. Its flat truss deck, with a crisscrossing lattice and a slightly arched top chord, runs between two tall, light-gray steel towers that narrow toward the top. The deck stands 730 feet (220 m) above the river, and the main span measures 263 metres.
The bridge opened in the early seventies to serve the growing population of the Sierra Nevada foothills and replace earlier routes. The fabrication took place in Japan before the segments were shipped to California and assembled on site.
Locals call it the Foresthill, Auburn or Auburn-Foresthill Bridge. Graffiti under the deck protests the Auburn Dam, whose reservoir would have submerged the old river crossing; the dam was never completed and was demolished in 2006. The bridge appears in the 2002 film XXX, where Vin Diesel's character drives a Corvette off it.
Pedestrians may walk the full length of the bridge in both directions. During the 2011–2015 retrofit a 6.5-foot (2 m) barrier was added along the walkway, so the deck can be crossed on foot; the towers and truss rise on either side of the roadway.
Below the roadway there is more than 700 feet (over 200 meters) of open space down to the water surface, placing the structure among the tallest bridges in California. Filmmakers have repeatedly used this location for scenes requiring extreme height.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,788 contributors worldwide.