| Durgan Bridge | |
| Location: | Nevada Street, Downieville, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates: | 39.5597°N -120.8294°W |
| Architect: | George F. Taylor |
| Architecture: | through Pratt truss bridge |
| Added: | July 10, 2012 |
| Area: | 0.1acres |
| Mpsub: | Highway Bridges of California MPS |
| Refnum: | 12000398 |
The Durgan Bridge is a truss bridge that carries Nevada Street over the North Yuba River in Downieville, California. Built in 1938, it is a rare surviving example of a one-lane, rigid-connected Pratt through truss span. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 10, 2012. It is also known as the Nevada Street Bridge or Courthouse Bridge.
The Durgan Bridge is one of four one-lane bridges that connect the town of Downieville, California. It was built in 1938 by the Judson Pacific Company to replace a bridge destroyed by a flood. It was designed by county surveyor and architect George F. Taylor.[1] [2]
The original Durgan Bridge was built in 1851 by James Durgan, for whom the bridge was named. The bridge is linked to the California gold rush, as it is referenced as a key location where gold was extracted. On June 24, 1854, two prospectors from the Canadian Co. recovered 105 ounces of gold from below the Durgan Bridge.[3] Initially a pedestrian footbridge, it was widened later that same year to accommodate wagon traffic. Today, the Durgan Bridge and the Jersey Bridge serve as the two main bridge crossings in Downieville.[1]
The Durgan Bridge was designed to carry both automotive and pedestrian traffic along Nevada Street over the North Yuba River. The single-lane bridge is 11.1feet wide and 140feet-long. Constructed in a steel Pratt through truss bridge, it features riveted steel I-beams and runs north-south along Nevada Street. At each end of the bridge, a builder’s plate that reads, “Pacific Rolling Mill Company Judson Pacific Co., San Francisco, 1938.” The bridge’s roadway deck is made of poured concrete, supported by two rectangular concrete piers. A four-foot concrete pedestrian walkway is located on the eastern side, while a water pipe runs along the lower chord on the western side.[1] The Pratt design was invited by Thomas Willis Pratt.[4]
Only a small number of single-lane Pratt through truss bridges still survive in California today. The Durgan Bridge is associated with the development of Downieville in Sierra County, built in response to a 1937 flood that destroyed the previous wooden bridge. It stands as a good example of the Truss Bridge type.[1]