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The I Street Bridge has served its purpose dutifully for over 100 years.
But now the gears are in motion to replace the bridge with a new one that will improve connectivity between Sacramento and West Sacramento.
TY Lin International was selected as the architect for the project, and they will find themselves engaging with the communities of West Sacramento and Sacramento to build a new design to replace the old I Street Bridge.
The company has made bridges in La Quinta, San Diego, Glendale, and the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
The old I Street Bridge will still be used by the railroad
The I Street Bridge is more than 100 years old, but, while it has history, the bridge was made for another time, population, and way of life.
“The existing I Street Bridge has done its job. It’s been a fantastic bridge, but it was designed for an era before SUV’s, [when the] Model T was the heaviest, the widest, and biggest of the cars on the road,” said West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon. “It was designed well before there were Jump Bikes or other forms of mobility that require a different kind of bridge.”
The bridge has narrow lanes, zero bike lanes, and has narrow sidewalks that are unable to meet accessibility standards. Weighing in around 4,500 tons, the bridge was one of the heaviest bridges in the world when it was built.
While it may lack certain modern features, the bridge served the original purpose that Sacramento, West Sacramento, and the railroad intended when it was built in 1911.
In 2011, the cities completed a study that showed a need for new bridge crossings, and, in 2013, they received funds from CalTrans for a project. The two cities will be sharing the local expenses involved in delivering the new bridge.
This new bridge will cross the river between the rail yards and the planned West Sacramento Washington developments. I Street Bridge will continue to be used by the railroad, but the new bridge will provide a crossing for bicycles, pedestrians, and vehicles.
A vision for a functional and beautiful bridge
“Things have changed, obviously, since 1911, and West Sacramento and Sacramento have grown exponentially since then, with amenities on both sides of the river,” said Congresswoman Doris Matsui.
Those amenities include a developing Washington District in West Sacramento, Raley Field, the Powerhouse Science Center, and many other amenities found in the Sacramento and West Sacramento areas.
According to Matsui, this new bridge can be functional, beautiful, and a destination for people to enjoy nature. Cabaldon said that, as work is wrapping up on the bridge project by 2022, West Sacramento will be extending the River Walk Trail. The trail will continue along the Sacramento River and connect to the bridge and California Indian Heritage Center.
The bridges construction means that it will be the first bridge built in 50 years to cross the Sacramento River, according to Sacramento Mayor Darrel Steinberg.
Architects with TY Lin International will be taking a unique look at the project and say they intend to deliver a bridge that can take advantage of the area’s features, and embrace the river.
“For this I Street Bridge project, we're blessed with many great features, and our vision for the project is a design that really incorporates all of those features and, really, much more than that,” said Noel Shamble, lead bridge architect with TY Lin International.
Design Concepts:
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TY Lin presented these design concepts, however, Shamble said they were just ideas of what the possibilities could be. They intend to have a series of open meetings and say they'll work with the community to get a representative design.
“We’re not designing a bridge for you. We’re designing a bridge with you,” Shamble said.