Doran Memorial Bridge Explained

Doran Memorial Bridge
Coordinates:37.5303°N -122.3606°W
Crosses:San Mateo Creek
Official Name:Officer Eugene A. Doran and Marine Lance Corporal Patrick M. Doran Memorial Bridge
Other Name:San Mateo Creek Bridge
Named For:Eugene A. Doran and Patrick M. Doran
Owner:Caltrans
Design:Steel girder
Clearance Below:250feet
Architect:Mario J. Ciampi
Designer:California Division of Highways
Builder:Dan Caputo Corporation
Fabricator:Kaiser Steel

The Doran Memorial Bridge is the twin pair of steel girder bridges that carry eight lanes of road traffic on Interstate 280 over San Mateo Creek near Hillsborough, California in San Mateo County.

History

The Doran Memorial Bridge was originally known as the San Mateo Creek Bridge according to Caltrans plans.[1] [2] [3] It was named the Eugene A. Doran Memorial Bridge in 1969, after the Hillsborough police officer who was killed near the site on August 5, 1959;[4] [5] Doran's widow attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 28, 1969.[6] In 2004, the bridge was rededicated as the Officer Eugene A. Doran and Marine Lance Corporal Patrick M. Doran Memorial Bridge to include his son, Patrick, who died in Vietnam on February 18, 1967 while serving in the United States Marine Corps.[7]

Prior to the opening ceremony on May 28, 1969, a "Pedestrian Day" was held on May 25, with more than 30,000 crossing the new span on foot.[8]

It won the Medium Span, High Clearance category in the 1970 AISC steel bridges contest.[9] Markers commemorating Eugene A. Doran and the AISC award are at the Crystal Springs Safety Roadside Rest Area off northbound I-280, approximately north of the bridge itself.[10] That stop also features a statue of Junipero Serra.[11] The Doran Memorial Bridge was featured on the cover of the 1972 Highway Statistics report published by the Federal Highway Administration with other recently completed major structures, including the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, and the Cowlitz River Bridge.[12]

Design and construction

The bridge was designed by Caltrans architect Warren S. Ludlow, engineers Robert Cassano and Delmar Janson, with assistance from Mario J. Ciampi.[13] [14] Ciampi was commissioned to design freeway structures for I-280 by the Division of Highways in 1963.[15]

Four arched concrete piers support the twin girder bridges. They use modified Gothic arches;[16] the finish was left in the natural concrete color, and the surfaces were contoured to help them blend into their surroundings. The twin bridges contain five parallel welded steel girders and are connected by a 22feet wide concrete slab. The structural steel is concealed by a slanted panel on either side. Bids were opened on April 7, 1965, for the stretch of freeway including the San Mateo Creek Bridge. To minimize impact on the gorge below, materials were lowered from a "high line" built between towers on the adjoining cliffs. It is next to the 1888 Crystal Springs Dam, which was (at the time of its completion) the largest concrete structure in the world.[17] Construction of the first pier began in January 1966.[18]

See also

External links

Doran family

Notes and References

  1. Bay Area Report—1964: San Mateo County . 24, 26, 39 . Sinclair, J.P. . California Highways and Public Works . May–June 1964 . Division of Highways, Department of Public Works, State of California . 43 . 5–6 . August 16, 2018 .
  2. Interstate 280 . 38 . Hayler, R.A. . California Highways and Public Works . September-October 1964 . Division of Highways, Department of Public Works, State of California . 43 . 9–10 . August 16, 2018 .
  3. Bay Area Freeways: San Mateo County . 36 . Hart, Alan S. . California Highways and Public Works . May-June 1965 . Division of Highways, Department of Public Works, State of California . 44 . 5–6 . August 16, 2018 .
  4. 1969 . 173 . 3765 . Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 34—Relative to the naming of a state highway bridge in the memory of Officer Eugene A. Doran . SCR 34.
  5. News: The tragic, brutal story behind the naming of the Doran Memorial Bridge . Moffitt, Mike . May 8, 2020 . SF Gate . 12 May 2021.
  6. News: Kind Words For Officer Heroes . May 29, 1969 . The Times . San Mateo, California . 12 May 2021.
  7. 2004 . 138 . 7588 . Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 65—Relative to the Officer Eugene A. Doran and Marine Lance Corporal Patrick M. Doran Memorial Bridge . SCR 65.
  8. News: 30,000 Take Walk Across New Bridge . May 26, 2021 . San Mateo Times . 12 May 2021.
  9. Web site: Prize Bridges 1970 . . American Institute of Steel Construction . 1970 . August 16, 2018 .
  10. Web site: Eugene A. Doran Memorial Bridge . Whittle, Syd . April 2009 . Historical Marker Database . August 16, 2018 .
  11. News: Padre Serra Will Return . Curry, John . October 30, 1975 . San Mateo Times . 12 May 2021.
  12. 1972 Highway statistics . U.S. Government Printing Office . August 16, 2018 .
  13. News: Bay Area at Your Feet: Walk Over a Canyon . Doss, Margot Patterson . May 25, 1969 . San Francisco Examiner . 12 May 2021.
  14. News: Signature Style: Mario Ciampi / Works writ bold / Architect believes creative design can change how people live . Weinstein, Dave . October 22, 2005 . San Francisco Chronicle . August 16, 2018 .
  15. Web site: Caltrans District 4: Timeline of Events . California Department of Transportation . August 16, 2018 .
  16. News: Call Bids on S.M. Creek Bridge . February 16, 1965 . San Mateo Times . 12 May 2021.
  17. News: Peninsula's Bridge Open May 28 . May 11, 1969 . San Francisco Examiner . 12 May 2021.
  18. News: New Look at S.M. Highways . January 8, 1966 . San Mateo Times . 12 May 2021.

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