Posted in Outdoors, Romance, Sightseeing |. So, once it got shipped up here and I got to drive over this bridgethat was a couple of months after it was built, of coursebut it was a big thing for the kids at the time to be able to drive over to Edgecumbe [on Japonski Island] and back. "It needs unique solutions and sometimes world-class solutions. (Some may not be online). Overwhelmed by choices? Featuring four 100-foot pylons made of steel and two three-cable sets, this monster of a bridge is capable of taking on big rigs, trucks and SUVs with ease. O' Connell Bridge in Sitka, Alaska in Urban Life & Travel. When they built the bridge, it was pretty exciting in town, Stedman recalled during the ceremony. Ernestine Massey and John Stein of the Sitka Historical Society painted a picture of what life was like in Sitka before the bridge linked the islands, sharing stories of the shore boat crossings some dangerous, some humorous that continue to be the way of things in other Southeast Alaska cities such as Ketchikan, which still shuttles passengers via shore boats across the Tongass Narrow to and from the airport on Gravina Island. While the traffic busied itself at its usual pace overhead, the OConnell Bridge Dock gently creaked and swayed in the background, rolling with the ocean waves. A comfortable van takes you across the O'Connell Bridge to Japonski Island. The Best of Alaska Business winners are joined in this issue by a plethora of small business sources, from farm owners and tour operators to wine shop retailers and construction traffic control managers. The project was overseen by Department of Highways Commissioner Robert Beardsley. So a 33% reduction, but still actually having twice the factor of safety against failure.". It was pretty complicated, but Dennis figured out a way to do it. a reference librarian. To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, Fred Kohls was the computer section lead, assisting Nottingham with one of the first computer-aided structural engineering designs in Alaska history. Choose a round-trip Inside passage or one-way Gulf of Alaska Cruise. So, I want to thank the people who spent the time designing it and thinking of the aesthetics of this, as well, because it does blend in so well with our community. [5][6] Special consideration was given to the bridge's aesthetics due to its proximity to nearby Castle Hill. In some cases, a surrogate Pass Sheldon Jackson Museum, Alaska Pioneer Home, and St. Michael's Cathedral, and listen to engaging commentary on the sites from informative guides. The application process to make the Salmon Creek Dam a national historic landmark was started by the late Scott Willis, who was an operator for the dam. Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - The Chugach National Forest will host public meetings on Jul. I dont know how many times a day you drive across this bridge, but you just really dont think about it. Alaska (Alaska Beacon) - As she celebrated a huge infusion of money to improve broadband access in Alaska, Sen. Lisa Murkowski cautioned that money is not the only thing needed to modernize communications in the states far-flung communities. A couple things come to mind when I think of this bridge: one of them is obvious, and one of them is not necessarily so obvious, said Mayor Eisenbeisz, who spoke last with impromptu remarks. Its a beautiful bridge, but its not boastful. Peratrovich finally got his wish. The bridges harp design features a trio of cables suspended to the deck in each direction from high atop two sets of 100-foot twin towers. The bridges merits were brought forth to the ASCE Alaska Section by Nottingham, who unfortunately didnt live long enough to see the dedication come to fruition; Nottingham died March 6, 2022. Campgrounds, RV Parks & Public Use Cabins. In many ways, the OConnell Bridge represents the zeitgeist of Alaskas economic development over the last 50 years. Where will your Alaska adventure take you? Ive been with the department for 22 years, and I love these kinds of projects, current Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF, formerly known as the Department of Highways) Commissioner Ryan Anderson, PE, said at the ceremony. Location of the "O\'Connell Bridge" in the Sitka. In fact, its a focal point on our new city seal, which was recently redesigned. Wheels were in motion for a 2020 dedication until the COVID-19 pandemic canceled all plans, travel and otherwise. The two-lane . Gamez was ticking off a number of the challenges the bridge design team faced in successfully completing this projectthe high seismicity, climactic conditions, the technology at hand, and the bridges proximity to Castle Hill not the least among them. Boutique, small ship adventure cruises in Alaska's Inside Passage, Cruises depart from Whittier, a 1 hr drive from Anchorage. Its a practical piece of thoughtfully designed infrastructure that has seamlessly woven itself into Sitkas fabric. Today, it connects Sitka, on Baranof Island, to the town's airport, which is on Japonski Island. Among the vast commercial fishing fleet and hundreds of charter and recreational vessels berthed on the east side of the strait, the iconic cable-stayed bridge comfortably blends into its idyllic surroundings. I had proposed the first one in 1962 when I had just come back to Juneau in 61, said Peratrovich, who was born in Southeast Alaska and earned his civil engineering degree in Washington State in the late 1950s. The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in The four 100-foot-high steel pylons carry two three-cable sets, each carrying a section of the bridge deck. The John O'Connell Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the Sitka Channel located in Sitka, Alaska. Press | "I felt really good about it. Its one of the first things visitors see, a striking landmark welcoming them to Sitka. [3] The bridge was also the United States' first vehicular cable-stayed girder spanned bridge. This article about a bridge in Alaska is a stub. On Sunday, September 11, 2022slightly more than a half-century after the bridge opened to vehicular trafficthe American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Alaska Section designated the John OConnell Memorial Bridge an Alaska Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. The roughly two dozen folding chairs set up for the event didnt come close to accommodating the attendance, which numbered around 50 people. Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - CBJ Parks & Recreation and Corvus Design will host an outdoor barbeque and public meeting about improvements to Sigoowu Ye Park (Fun Place Park) on Thursday, July 6 from 5 7 p.m. Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - The City and Borough of Juneau will bid farewell Friday to Finance Director Jeff Rogers, who leaves Juneau for Portland, Oregon. He was 16 years old when the bridge opened. While the traffic busied itself at its usual pace overhead, the OConnell Bridge Dock gently creaked and swayed in the background, rolling with the ocean waves. There are so many stories. In our July 2023 issue, we're celebrating the eighth annual Best of Alaska Business awards, in which our readers nominated their favorite businesses from around the state in more than forty categories. Until then, the only way to island hop was to jump on a ferry (which is still available!). As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an Kinney was asked what he thinks significant structures in Alaska share in common. I think the police stayed over here [on Baranof Island], so we kind of enjoyed that until they figured it out.. Nearby attractions include: Sound Science Center, Castle Hill, St. Michael's Cathedral, Russian Bishop's House. His work has been featured on National Public Radios "Fresh Air" and CBS Sunday Morning. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. SITKA, Alaska (AP) A Washington state man has died after a failed attempt to swim to shore after jumping off a bridge in Sitka. About this Item. I dont know how many times a day you drive across this bridge, but you just really dont think about it. It was the first cable-stayed gider bridge for vehicles in the United States. At the first fork in the bottom of the valley, turn right into the campground and then park by the bridge over the river. It was fitting the ceremony took place in the shadow of the Baranof Castle State Historic Site, the national historic landmark where Russian Alaska was formally handed over to the United States in 1867. Zoom in Zoom out Rotate right Fit screen Full expand. Building/structure dates: 1972 Initial Construction, Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress), https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ak0342/, Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey, (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html), https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/rights.html, http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html, http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/001_ref.html, http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html. No, another surrogate does not exist. Its just there. The bridge connects the town of Sitka on Baranof Island to the airport and Coast Guard Station on Japonski Island. I think the police stayed over here (on Baranof Island), so we kind of enjoyed that until they figured it out.. Its just part of the community. Car, train, or group tour. Travel at your own pace to discover new places and enjoy your journey. I think one of the best things about coming here today was my standing-room-only seat in the back, where I got to watch some of our valued Sitkans here up in the front laugh and reminisce about some events that I was not here for the shore boats, the events, and the construction of this bridge, said Eisenbeisz, who was born in the mid-1980s. Its first building was constructed in 1843 on what is now 224 Lincoln Street and was the first Protestant church in Alaska. surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Approach it from Japonski Island in the west, and the bridge presents itself as an imposing figure in front of its Sitka Harbor and Mount Verstovia backdrop. Survey number: HAER AK-27 Building/structure dates: 1972 Initial Construction Subjects: cable stays girder bridges transportation Place: Alaska -- Sitka Borough -- Sitka Latitude/Longitude: 57.047899, -135.340627 Collections: The John O'Connell Bridge over the Sitka Channel, List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Alaska, "Where Did the Russians Settle in Alaska? This project in particular with the innovative design and the way that people thought about this in 1972 when they built it really is an example for us as a state, as the Department of Transportation, of how we want to move forward.. The two-lane bridge is 1,255 feet in total length, with a main span of 450 feet. The winning bid for the project was $3.2M in 1970; construction was completed in 1971. About | This article about a bridge in Alaska is a stub. Until the bridge was completed in 1971, the commute was only achievable through a ferry service. fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room SITKA, ALASKA Its difficult to distinguish the OConnell Bridge from the Sitka Harbor shoreline, which is remarkable considering the bridge is 1,255 feet long and towers more than 150 feet over the Sitka Channel. The bridge connects the town of Sitka on Baranof Island to the airport and Coast Guard Station on Japonski Island. My chief bridge engineer he was sitting down at his table working over something. He was 16 years old when the bridge opened. For further rights Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - Construction work continues on Calhoun Avenue. The Coast Guard would probably still be there because they like the seclusion and the location, but it was really an anchor point in the economy to get this bridge built, and were reaping the benefits now., Sitka Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz echoed Stedmans remarks: We heard earlier about all of the economic activity that can happen on Japonski Island because of it, and that is on both sides of the island, he said, referring to Baranof Island where the town center resides. They are also Free personal GPSdriven travel guide to Alaska. He moved to Sitka in 1977 and has no plans of leaving. The bridges harp design features a trio of cables suspended to the deck in each direction from high atop two sets of 100-foot twin towers. Without the bridge, my guess is Mount Edgecumbe High School wouldnt be there; the hospital would probably be in Juneau. ", "Bellingham man dies after jump from Alaska bridge", "ASCE Alaska Section Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Designation", O'Connell Bridge, Sitka Harbor, Sitka, Sitka Borough, AK, Japonski Bridge, Sitka, Sitka Borough, AK, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_O%27Connell_Bridge&oldid=1146654093, Buildings and structures in Sitka, Alaska, Historic American Engineering Record in Alaska, Cable-stayed bridges in the United States, Western United States bridge (structure) stubs, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 26 March 2023, at 05:27. 21 min walk Sitka National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Sitka, Alaska. Walk across O'Connell Bridge at sunset Life in a small island town can have its own challenges, and on more than one occasion a short walk on this elegant span has restored my sense of equanimity. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions. Created in 1910 to commemorate the 1804 Battle of Sitka between the native Tlingit people and the Russian colonists, the Sitka National Historical Park is Alaska's oldest cultural and historic park. 17 min walk The Sitka Sound Science Center is a non-profit dedicated to research and education in Alaska in Sitka, Alaska. So, thats how important this bridge is to Sitkans, whether or not they think about it every day. He can be contacted at [emailprotected]. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting The dedication was two years overdue. It was just so much paperwork that you gotta go through; it just didnt have the capabilities for doing structural work that was needed on this job. Until the bridge was completed in 1971, the commute was only achievable through a ferry service. I happened to have that summer fishing out of Petersburg and bought a car when I got home. Its just part of the community. ", "Bellingham man dies after jump from Alaska bridge", "ASCE Alaska Section Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Designation", O'Connell Bridge, Sitka Harbor, Sitka, Sitka Borough, AK, Japonski Bridge, Sitka, Sitka Borough, AK, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_O%27Connell_Bridge&oldid=1146654093, Buildings and structures in Sitka, Alaska, Historic American Engineering Record in Alaska, Cable-stayed bridges in the United States, Western United States bridge (structure) stubs, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 26 March 2023, at 05:27. Thats partly what makes this bridge so appealing.
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