Unspecified/General

Arching gracefully across the broad waters of San Diego Bay, the San Diego-Coronado Bridge connects the downtown peninsula with the resort city of Coronado in a long, sweeping curve that has become one of the defining images of the southern Californian skyline. Officially opened on 3 August 1969 with a celebratory motorcade led by Governor Ronald Reagan, the bridge replaced the long-standing ferry service across the bay and gave the previously isolated naval community of Coronado its first land connection to the city. The bridge's distinctive arc was a deliberate design choice. Built at a length of two and a quarter miles and a maximum height of two hundred feet above the bay, the central span was deliberately designed to accommodate the massive aircraft carriers of the United States Navy's Pacific Fleet, which need to pass beneath it on their way to and from the naval bases in Coronado and downtown San Diego. The bridge was awarded a Most Beautiful Bridge prize by the American Institute of Steel Construction shortly after its opening. A second remarkable feature is the gentle curve of the bridge's deck, which was added to extend the road length and reduce the gradient, allowing trucks to negotiate the steep climb at the centre of the span. From the bridge's 4.7 percent grade, drivers and passengers enjoy some of the most expansive views of the bay, the downtown skyline, the naval shipyards and, on a clear day, the islands offshore. The bridge is not officially open to pedestrians or cyclists, but it can be experienced on foot during the annual Bay Bridge Run, traversed by motor coach on the popular Old Town Trolley sightseeing tour, or admired from the water on one of the bay-cruise services that pass beneath it. Most visitors simply cross it by car to reach Coronado's resort hotels and beaches. The drive across the bridge is free in both directions, with no toll currently collected, and parking on the Coronado side near the foot of the bridge offers some of the best photographic angles of its sweeping curve. For visitors with limited time, simply crossing the bridge by car remains one of the most memorable five-minute experiences in greater San Diego.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Interstate 75 / SR-75, San Diego, CA, United States

Opening Date: 03/08/1969