Tokyo, Japan's Bridges, Oshiagesen Keisei Bridge across the Arakawa

March 2012 (35.729 Degrees, 139.831 Degrees) Oshiagesen Keisei Bridge

The next bridge downstream carries the Keisei Osiage Line across the Arikawa. The Yotsugi Station is supported on the east end of the bridge. According to the Wikipedia website the railway line goes through downtown Tokyo neighborhoods that have a distinctly earthy atmosphere!

The  Oshiagesen Keisei Bridge is a long Warren Truss bridge carrying two sets of tracks with a taller through truss span over the river.

Tokyo, Japan's Bridges, Oshiagesen Keisei Bridge across the Arakawa by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License.

California's Bridges: Benicia-Martinez Bridges across the Carquinez Straits (5)

1999 (38.043 deg, -122.122 deg.) Benicia-Martinez Bridges

Well, this is my best photo of the Benicia-Martinez Railway Bridge (owned by the Union Pacific Railroad). You can see that this photo was taken before the segmentally-constructed highway bridge was built to the east. Its amazing that this old railway bridge (from 1930) stands between an expensively retrofit and an expensive new highway bridge. The railroads are run by a tough bunch of business-people who guard their rights zealously. Whenever we want to build anything near their right-of-way they drive a very hard bargain.

Despite its fragile appearance, the railway bridge does carry a couple dozen trains every day. I do recall the railway bridge had some damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. I believe there is a lift span at the center of the bridge, but I can't recall if it ever is opened.

California's Bridges: Benicia-Martinez Bridges across the Carquinez Straits (5) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

California's Bridges: Benicia-Martinez Bridges across the Carquinez Straits (4)

October 2008 (38.043 deg, -122.122 deg.) Benicia-Martinez Bridges

I was looking for a photo of the Benicia-Martinez Railway Bridge but all I could find was this photo from inside the Amtrak train going over the railway bridge. From the window is the new (2007) northbound Benicia-Martinez Highway Bridge, and Suisin Bay (with the mothballed fleet) obscured by the rising sun.

Amtrak's Capitol Corridor starts in the Sierra Foothills in Auburn, crosses the Straits on the old railway bridge, and then jogs to the west into Richmond before turning south and going all the way to San Jose. Passengers wishing to go to San Francisco get off in Emeryville where a bus takes them over the Bay Bridge.

California's Bridges: Benicia-Martinez Bridges across the Carquinez Straits (4) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.