Tower Bridge - Sacramento
The Bridge is a prominent Sacramento icon. It crosses the Sacramento
River connecting West Capitol Avenue and Tower Bridge Gateway in West
Sacramento with the Capitol Mall in Sacramento near Old Sacramento. It
was the first vertical lift bridge in California which permits cargo and
passenger ship traffic under the bridge.
The lift towers that permit large ships to cross under the bridge are 160
feet tall. The bridge was originally built with four traffic lanes for cars
with one large center lane for trains which no longer run on the bridge.
Today, traffic is limited to autos and pedestrian crossing. In 2007,
regional transportation agencies were considering the possibility of
adding trolley traffic across the bridge.
Interestingly, the bridge, which is on the National Register of Historic
Places is painted gold, emblematic of its Gold Rush days and in context
with the historic buildings built during the 1850s in Old Sacramento.
The bridge is repainted about every 30 years.
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