Orangevale Avenue Bridge
This historic bridge is pretty close to my house. It’s not exactly famous, nor is it part of a major thoroughfare. It was built over Gold Creek in 1915, with a length of 160 feet, and was apparently designed to last for roughly 50 years. These photos, unless otherwise noted, were shot in January 2005, when the bridge was still very much in use.
Over the past several years there has been ongoing discussion between those wishing to replace this “functionally obsolete” bridge and those who recognize the historical value of the bridge — which became part of the Lincoln Highway in 1927 — and to restore and preserve it for future generations.
In 2005, the City of Folsom hoped to begin construction to replace the 18-foot-wide bridge with one that measured 43.5 feet wide. However that construction never happened. Now, with a new plan in place, rehabilitation of the existing bridge began in May 2016, and the bridge is currently closed to traffic.
January 28, 2017:
Hidden history
Black and white photos are from Images of America: Orangevale, Arcadia Publishing, 2006.
Categories: archived photos, Folsom, history, local, Photography, scenic
Oh yes. I so know that bridge. Now I know it so much better! Great post 😀
So sad that it had to be replaced. I loved driving over it and you rarely had to wait for another vehicle. There just wasn’t that much traffic on it. It was said 1,000 a week but I never saw any where near that many cars and I used it a lot myself. From American River Canyon Drive to Main street was almost always empty.
Yes, it never seemed all that busy to me either. I haven’t checked it out since it reopened; I need to walk over and see the finished product. It’s still a historical landmark, isn’t it?