Most Iconic Bridge in Each Metro Area

[achilles765]

It's probably the Fred Hartman Bridge on SH-146 for Houston, although the new ship channel bridge on Beltway 8 will eventually top it.

Yeah. We don't really have many major bridges here because we don't really have a large river. The ship channel is only large enough for a big bridge on the east side but most people are not going to be driving around that area unless they work or live out there. And that's not a whole lot of people. All of our other water is little bayous and creeks haha

[achilles765]

My hometown, New Orleans has two that are iconic in different ways and to different groups of people: the Crescent City Connection which is an iconic part of the skyline, and the Huey p long which used to be so rickety, narrow, and terrifying it was infamous to anyone who lived or grew up there. Now it's been totally rebuilt and is really rather nice. 

[mrose]

I was gonna suggest the Speer arch twins for Denver too, but it looks like people beat me to it.

In Australia it's pretty simple.

Sydney: Sydney Harbour
Melbourne: Westgate
Brisbane: Story

[kkt]

For Seattle, I'd nominate the Montlake Bridge, a 1920s drawbridge over a canal.
The floating bridges are great, but fairly new and the visible part of the bridge is just a bridge deck.

For San Francisco, I'll take the easy point for the Golden Gate.

[oscar]

In San Diego, the historic Cabrillo Bridge in Balboa Park, carrying El Prado over CA 163.

Honorable mentions:

-- the "gateway" concrete arch bridge carrying Eastgate Mall over I-805 near La Jolla, and much farther north (but still in the outer metro area) the similar concrete arch Lilac Bridge over I-15 north of Escondido

-- the viaduct carrying I-805 across Mission Valley, which is the top level of a four-level interchange with ramps connecting I-805 and I-8 on the bottom level.

[empirestate]

I'll start with Rochester, NY: I-490 over the Genesee River.

Hmm, that's an interesting one. It certainly seems iconic now–was built to be, frankly. But it's a comparatively new bridge, even more so than the Interstate itself, and so it has a bit of catching up to do. There's certainly a case to be made for the Broad St. bridge, because its lower level is the former canal aqueduct, and as such it's the crossing most entwined with the city's history. Also, Main St., if never iconic, was certainly noteworthy once, when it was lined with an unbroken facade of buildings on both sides. You don't see that every day, in this country anyhow.

Barring those, the Driving Park Avenue bridge was apparently a big deal in its day. And one bridge that, surprisingly, never seems even to have flirted with icon status is the Vets Bridge (NY 104). I don't know why, I guess it's just a little too tucked away, despite being appealing and monumental and all the rest of it.

[webny99]

And one bridge that, surprisingly, never seems even to have flirted with icon status is the Vets Bridge (NY 104). I don't know why, I guess it's just a little too tucked away, despite being appealing and monumental and all the rest of it.

That is an interesting one, seemingly forgotten despite being one of the most prominent structures in the area. My guess is that it's the combination of (a) it being pretty forgettable from atop, especially given that you can't even see the river, (b) the fact that it's near several bends in the river, so it's hard to get a good view of the bridge from anywhere in the area, and (c) it's too far from downtown to see the skyline and could pass for a suburban bridge, reducing its "urban icon" potential.

[1995hoo]

Washington DC: Arlington Memorial Bridge?

I agree with that for several reasons. Its styling makes it the most befitting of a capital city (compare it to the utterly practical Roosevelt and 14th Street Bridges to either side), its location directly behind the Lincoln Memorial contributes to its use in many iconic photographs, and even though it's located wholly within the District, it's often seen as symbolically linking North and South, not least because Robert E. Lee's house sits on the hill above the bridge opposite the Lincoln Memorial and because so many significant funeral processions heading to Arlington Cemetery have crossed that bridge (such as John F. Kennedy's).

The new Frederick Douglass Bridge going up over the Anacostia River is seen as a sort of "signature span" design, but I can't imagine it would ever surpass Memorial Bridge in the public consciousness for a lot of reasons.

[webny99]

The new Frederick Douglass Bridge going up over the Anacostia River is seen as a sort of "signature span" design, but I can't imagine it would ever surpass Memorial Bridge in the public consciousness for a lot of reasons.

I have to imagine the river it crosses is one of those reasons: everyone knows the Potomac, but the Anacostia isn't nearly as well known.

[1995hoo]

The new Frederick Douglass Bridge going up over the Anacostia River is seen as a sort of "signature span" design, but I can't imagine it would ever surpass Memorial Bridge in the public consciousness for a lot of reasons.

I have to imagine the river it crosses is one of those reasons: everyone knows the Potomac, but the Anacostia isn't nearly as well known.

The Anacostia is indeed sometimes called DC's "forgotten river."

[empirestate]

The new Frederick Douglass Bridge going up over the Anacostia River is seen as a sort of "signature span" design, but I can't imagine it would ever surpass Memorial Bridge in the public consciousness for a lot of reasons.

I have to imagine the river it crosses is one of those reasons: everyone knows the Potomac, but the Anacostia isn't nearly as well known.

The Anacostia is indeed sometimes called DC's "forgotten river."

And the eponymous neighborhood no less so.

[Rothman]

The new Frederick Douglass Bridge going up over the Anacostia River is seen as a sort of "signature span" design, but I can't imagine it would ever surpass Memorial Bridge in the public consciousness for a lot of reasons.

I have to imagine the river it crosses is one of those reasons: everyone knows the Potomac, but the Anacostia isn't nearly as well known.

The Anacostia is indeed sometimes called DC's "forgotten river."

And the eponymous neighborhood no less so.

MacArthur burning it down didn't help things.

[DandyDan]

Omaha's would have to be the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. As for bridges which carry vehicular traffic, I can't tell you, because they're either in Omaha and look entirely utilitarian or they're in Council Bluffs and look hideous.

[SkyPesos]

Portland OR has so many bridges!  I would nominate two.  For beautiful modern design, give it to the Fremont Bridge.  When it comes to classic old school looks, the Burnside Bridge is my pick.

Rick

Didn't know about Portland's bridges that much, but after looking at some of them, there's two particular bridges that stood out to me. There's the new Tilikum Bridge, which is cable stayed (my favorite general bridge type) and is unique that it's for buses and light rail only. The Steel Bridge is interesting in that it carries a variety of transit types (cars and light rail on the upper deck, Union Pacific/Amtrak trains on the lower deck), and is a vertical lift bridge.

[wanderer2575]

In Midland MI, it's The Tridge over the Tittabawassee and Chippewa rivers.

https://goo.gl/maps/37nEizStbzGp5Ly76

[EpicRoadways]

For Saint Cloud, despite straddling the Mississippi none of its bridges are all that iconic. I might have to go with the BNSF railroad bridge downtown. It's featured in the news a few times a year for... not such great reasons that I'll leave up to your imagination.

My other nomination might be the Sauk Rapids Bridge because it's probably the most architecturally unique (which isn't saying much) and it supposedly has the longest spiral pedestrian ramp in the United States.

Honorable mention goes to the Holdingford covered bridge on the Lake Wobegon Trail. It's the longest covered bridge in the state and is featured heavily in county and statewide biking publications.

[mrose]

Omaha's would have to be the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. As for bridges which carry vehicular traffic, I can't tell you, because they're either in Omaha and look entirely utilitarian or they're in Council Bluffs and look hideous.

I'd guess either the Mormon (I-680) or the new US 275 one which is kinda interesting.... you don't see too many box-trusses built these days. Growing up, the Mormon is the one I always remember crossing.... seems like half the time these days you can't get to it cause the Iowa approach is flooded.

[roadman65]

https://www.wdrb.com/news/fire-destroys-historic-covered-bridge-in-springfield-kentucky/article_ebeb7296-81b0-11eb-b99f-d3ba3764f19a.html

This small community just lost its iconic bridge.

[kevinb1994]

https://www.wdrb.com/news/fire-destroys-historic-covered-bridge-in-springfield-kentucky/article_ebeb7296-81b0-11eb-b99f-d3ba3764f19a.html

This small community just lost its iconic bridge.

Ugh, I can't believe someone would destroy it. Shame!

[Scott5114]

Oklahoma City: Skydance pedestrian bridge over I-40.

If you want something a bit less artsy, the rail bridge over I-235.

[roadman65]

St. Louis is the Eads Bridge no doubt.

[kevinb1994]

St. Louis is the Eads Bridge no doubt.

Yes and there was once a street named after Mr. Eads here, over in the Five Points/Riverside area. It is now known as Oak Street.

[kevinb1994]

Jacksonville, FL - The I-295 Dames Point Bridge over the St. Johns River.

That was the last bridge that was built by the former Jacksonville Expressway Authority (since 1971, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, when it merged with the former City Coach Company-one of the presumably-obvious reasons behind the merger was to avoid confusion with the then-also new (since 1968) Jacksonville Electric Authority). The first bridge that the former Jacksonville Expressway Authority built was the then-soon-to-be-infamous Mathews Bridge, which connects the simultaneously-built Union Street Expressway to the later-built Arlington Expressway.

No Main Street Bridge?   That's actually part of the City Skyline and hard to miss in that striking blue paint.

I like the fact that the first Tv station around here, WJXT aka News 4 Jax, had its first studio building at the southeast corner of the Main Street Bridge. Unfortunately, when they built the I-95 expressway over the St Johns (via the infamous Fuller Warren Bridge-originally known as the Gilmore Street Bridge), they had to move to their current location.

No love for the Acosta Bridge? The original had a reversible lane in the middle. The current one has had its blue neon lights replaced with multicolor LED lights.

The lights on Acosta are nice but the structure looks too bland when the Main Street bridge is right in the same field of view.

I guess we're both sort of nostalgic for the original bridge, then.

[LilianaUwU]

In Québec City, I'd say either of the bridges spanning the Saint Lawrence River (the Québec bridge and the Pierre Laporte bridge) could have arguments in favor of one of them being the most iconic.

[sparker]

Spokane is easy, since they include their most iconic in their city logo: https://my.spokanecity.org/about/government/logo-and-colors/

That's the Monroe Street Bridge, which spans the Spokane River in downtown near the falls.

Didn't make it onto the city logo, but the Latah Creek BNSF railroad bridge adjacent to I-90 is unique, since it actually splits that RR's northern transcontinental line into two branches (southwest to the Columbia River Gorge and Portland and west toward Everett and eventually Seattle) right on the bridge structure (the SW branch then crosses over I-90).