The bridge was built during World War II. Steel, concrete, and redwood were reserved for the war effort, so the bridge was constructed primarily of pressure-treated Douglas fir timber. Concrete was limited to foundations, abutments, and two of the thirteen “bents”—the large towers that make up most of the bridge’s substructure. The portion of the bridge that crosses the Albion River is a steel railroad span that was refurbished in San Francisco.

In 2017, the bridge’s historical significance was recognized on both the state and federal levels: the bridge was placed in the California Register of Historical Resources and in the National Register of Historic Places.

There are economic, environmental, and cultural reasons to preserve this bridge. A new bridge would be extremely expensive and involve signicant disruption to the Albion River watershed, the Albion Flats Campground (one of the few affordable tourist lodgings on the coast), and other local businesses.

What’s more, the tourism industry on our coast is built on a foundation of preservation: of the environment, the historic Mendocino village, the Skunk Train, and the Point Cabrillo Light Station, to name only a few examples. There’s a genuine economic advantage to preserving our historic structures.

We owe it to our history, to our economy, to our environment, to California taxpayers, and to future generations to preserve the Albion River Bridge.

Is the bridge safe?

Absolutely. If the bridge was unsafe, Caltrans would be required to close it immediately.

Isn’t the bridge “functionally obsolete?”

Caltrans often describes the bridge as “functionally obsolete”—which simply means that the bridge doesn’t meet today’s design standards for shoulder width and pedestrian and bicycle lanes.

In reality, there are tens of thousands of functionally obsolete bridges in the country, including the Golden Gate Bridge and most Highway 1 bridges. Yet these bridges are functional and safe, and there is no legal requirement to replace them.

The Bixby Creek Bridge on Highway 1 in Big Sur is also a registered historic landmark. It, too, is “functionally obsolete,” and in the 1990s, Caltrans spent more than $20 million to retro t and preserve the bridge.

Could it withstand a tsunami or earthquake?

Caltrans also describes the Albion River Bridge as being “structurally deficient.” One justification for this is that a “1000-year tsunami” might damage the bridge.

Even in this highly unlikely case, Caltrans states that the bridge would likely survive, and any damage would occur from debris striking the bridge when the waters recede. However, there’s almost no development east of the bridge. Thus, there would be minimal debris in a tsunami out ow—in stark contrast to areas such as Fukashima, Japan.

As for an earthquake, in 2016, Caltrans performed a seismic retrofit to strengthen the steel portion of the bridge, which was the most seismically vulnerable component.

What about toxins in the timbers?

A representative from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control wrote the following in response to a question by a community member: “Arsenic and hexavalent chromium concentrations we have found are higher than what DTSC considers acceptable for a residence. When we estimate risk for a residence, we are assuming a 24 hour, 365 day/year presence. However, since the areas of contamination are not a residence, but rather in a recreational setting, we do not necessarily think there is an issue with current land use.”

What’s more, if the bridge is torn down, its timbers would have to be trucked to a Class 1 hazardous waste facility. e closest such facility is in Kettleman City, 300 miles away—hundreds of truckloads of toxic waste on local and state roads.

Lastly, any discussion of environmental hazards must also take into account the environmental impact of a proposed new bridge: not only the disposal of the historic bridge, but the impact of construction and geotechnical investigations on the Albion River, a federally designated wild and scenic waterway.

Is there room for pedestrians and cyclists?

There are several ways to accommodate pedestrian and bicycle traffic across the Albion River, and they can be added for a fraction of the cost of building a new bridge.

Isn’t the bridge expensive to maintain?

The bridge has annual maintenance costs of about $150,000—a fraction of the cost of building a new bridge, demolishing the historic one, and transporting and disposing of tons of toxic waste.

Add to this the other benefits of preserving a historic structure: the economic benefits to tourism and local businesses, and the intangible but very real benefits to the fabric of a community.

Isn’t it cheaper to just build a new bridge?

No. In 2024, Caltrans estimated a new bridge would cost up to $135 million. It’s easy to imagine a new bridge costing far more, considering that construction wouldn’t begin for several more years, and that cost overruns are common.