Galena Creek Bridge, Concrete arch bridge at Interstate 580, Nevada
Galena Creek Bridge is a twin-span concrete arch bridge in Washoe County, Nevada, carrying Interstate 580 and U.S. Route 395 over Galena Creek between Carson City and Reno. It is 1,725 feet (526 m) long, with a main span of 689 feet (210 m) and a height of 295 feet (90 m). Its open-spandrel cathedral-arch design supports the deck only at the center of the arch.
Construction started in 2003 and the bridge opened to traffic in 2012 after nearly a decade of work. Local residents jokingly called it 'the Bridge to Nowhere' during its extended building phase.
Before it opened, the Nevada Department of Transportation held a community day on 28 July 2012, letting pedestrians, cyclists and a limited number of motor vehicles onto the finished deck. The bridge and the freeway project it belongs to opened to traffic in late August 2012.
The bridge sits on Interstate 580 and is easy to reach when traveling between the two cities. Daytime driving offers the best views of both the structure and the landscape below.
The bridge is described as the largest cathedral arch bridge in the world, a type of open-spandrel deck arch bridge where the arch supports the deck only at the center. Its main span measures 689 feet (210 m), and the deck stands 295 feet (90 m) above Galena Creek.
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