California, County Highway, District 7, Highways, Los Angeles County, Old Bridge, Rivers, Roads, Santa Clara River, Santa Clarita, US 6

US 6 – Santa Clara River Bridge – A Closer Look

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US Highway 6, now known as Sierra Highway, crossed the Santa Clara River near Solemint, California. The bridge it originally used, constructed in 1938, is planned to be replaced in the near future. This bridge is one of the oldest remaining in the Santa Clarita area and is the longest span on former US 6 in California. The bridge has remained almost intact from its original construction. The only changes have been minor to the bridge itself. The highway, however, has changed quite a bit. In 1968, Sierra Highway, then State Route 14, was widened to four lanes. A second bridge for northbound traffic was added, with the original bridge being used for southbound traffic.

Presently, Sierra Highway is six lanes wide at the river crossing. As the bridges were built with a four-lane highway in mind, only a narrow shoulder along both directions exists. This condition is one of the reasons the bridges across the Santa Clara River are being replaced.

In March of 2017, I took a trip to inspect in more detail the bridge and the surrounding area. It was nice to see the bridge again, as it brought back a lot of memories. I used to live near the bridge and crossed it almost daily. It will be sad to see it go as it is one of the last remaining pieces of the old highway. So, please, check it out yourself while you still can. I’m not quite sure when the construction will begin, it may have already.

Main Structure:

Side view, from the northern end. Note the small arches along each span.
Southern abutment and wing wall.
Between the 1938 and 1968 spans. Quite a difference between the girders.
Deck view, looking northerly from the south end.
Side view showing the railing, arched spans, and wing wall.

Detailing:

Underside view of the bridge.
Closeup of the west side railing from the south end of the bridge.
View showing the railing at the expansion joint.
Expansion joint that may have moved during an earthquake or from settling.
Expansion joint along the bridge deck.
Deck drain detail.
Remaining section of railroad rail and wire fence embankment protection.

2 thoughts on “US 6 – Santa Clara River Bridge – A Closer Look”

  1. Why does that old bridge need to be replaced? Seems in the photos there’s no traffic. If anything widening bridges and roads just leads to more widening of bridges and roads. Our tax dollars should be going toward public transportation instead.

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    1. The roadway, Sierra Highway, does actually get a lot of traffic. I made sure to take those photos with the least amount of traffic to get clean shots of the structure. The bridge is being replaced as it has little to no shoulder, no sidewalk, and was partially damaged in the 1994 quake. No matter the reasons, I’ll still be sad to see it go. It is the LAST original bridge left along the 1939 Newhall-Saugus bypass.

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