Alameda County, California Bridges: Pleasanton-Sunol Road Underpass

June 2014 (37.62713 Degrees, -121.88149 Degrees) Pleasanton-Sunol Road Underpass

Next to yesterday's Verona Avenue Bridge is the Pleasanton-Sunol Road Underpass (33C0105). This highly skewed railroad bridge was built in 1907, but I couldn't find much written about it. I guess 107 year old railroad bridges aren't that unusual for Alameda County. The bridge has two spans, a long through girder span over railroad tracks and a shorter deck girder span over Pleasanton-Sunol Road. 

Alameda County, California Bridges: Pleasanton-Sunol Road Underpass by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Alameda County, California Bridges: Verona Avenue Bridge across Arroyo de la Laguna

June 2014 (37.62667, -121.88263  Degrees) Verona Avenue Bridge

On the east side of Niles Canyon is the town of Pleasanton. We'll finish our tour of Alameda County bridges with a few structures around this affluent region. 

The Verona Avenue Bridge was built at the beginning of the 20th century to carry guests to a home that was being built for the Hearst family. The house and the bridge were named 'Verona' after the Italian city where the marble used to build their "Hacienda del Pozo de Verona" was quarried.

The bridge crosses over the Arroyo de la Laguna.  An arroyo is a dry stream bed that fills with water during the rainy season. The Arroyo de la Laguna is a 7.5 mile long stream that empties into Alameda Creek. It was originally a lagoon (when the Hearsts bought the property) but it has since degraded to a dry stream bed. 

The Verona Avenue Bridge is a 165 foot long Camelback Pratt truss pedestrian bridge between Pleasanton-Sunol and Foothill Roads. The bridge site is in a park with posters giving information on the degradation of the arroyo due to development and the efforts to reforest and preserve it. More information on the restoration project and on the Hearst Estate can be found here.

Alameda County, California Bridges: Verona Avenue Bridge across Arroyo de la Laguna by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Alameda County, California Bridges: Niles Canyon Railroad Bridge across Alameda Creek

June 2014 (37.59498 Degrees, -121.90267 Degrees) UP Niles Canyon RR Bridge

Freight and passenger trains also use the Niles Canyon Railway bridges. We are at the eastern end of Niles Canyon and the railroad no longer crosses State Route 84. However, the tracks continually cross over hills, across ravines, and over Alameda Creek through tunnels and bridges. 

The UP Niles Canyon Railway Bridge is a 455 ft long crossing with plate girder approach spans and two Warren through truss main spans across Alameda Creek.

Alameda County, California Bridges: Niles Canyon Railroad Bridge across Alameda Creek by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.