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Description
In this circa 1937 photograph, the superstructure of the Tower Bridge is visible from the east side of the Sacramento River. At 700 feet long and 70 feet wide, the bridge required over 7,600 cubic yards of concrete, 932 fir stands, and 3,250 tons of steel for support. Prior to breaking ground, various logistical issues needed to be dealt with, the most vexing of which was the Sacramento Northern Railroad Company’s fifty-year franchise on the use of the bridge that was set to expire in 1960. The original plans for the bridge did not account for rail access and State officials were either willing to relocate to L Street or withdraw entirely. After considerable haggling between Sacramento Northern and the State Highways Commission, a deal was made to supply rail access to the bridge with the allotment of a 13 foot-wide berth between the two two-lane auto ways. Notice the overhead wires for the Sacramento Northern cars and locomotives, which were almost exclusively electric.
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