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[paulthemapguy]

On a similar note as the post above, I-64 over US19 in Beckley, WV springs to mind, of the high overpasses I have seen from my own POV:

https://goo.gl/maps/ZCpcrx6XHuS2

[jeffandnicole]

(Without going back thru the rest of the thread to see if this was mentioned) Bridges that go over rivers and need some extended height for marine traffic, tend to be high overpasses for roads near to or alongside the river, such as https://goo.gl/maps/jAzSYh6WPWr .

[index]

Here's this bizarre bridge on Marion Co Route 316 in Florida.


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.372035,-81.8987776,3a,60y,127.36h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spUr3Pe7AvLwV2PlORViJuQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656



It starts on the ground and goes to rise above the treetops, then suddenly goes back down, only to clear... this??



https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3722574,-81.8990698,3a,75y,130.71h,94.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYoia_y1-mUD-6kFvlU7Xfg!2e0!7i3328!8i1664


I have no idea why that is. Part of the height could be due to the higher elevation on one side, but that still doesn't explain why it continues to go higher to clear a random road in the middle of the woods in extremely flat terrain. The wood around the supports would be to prevent boats from hitting the supports, which may  mean a waterway may have either existed or been planned for this location that would need to clear tall water traffic, this is the only plausible explanation I can think of. There's also a dam further upstream.


 Possibly, perhaps an industrial installation was planned which would have needed to have a canal with large cargo, or something like that? Like the bridge before the John Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. I don't know.


The presence of some sort of waterway or installation is also supported by not only a dam, but also what appears to be this abandoned lock and dam next to it:


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3784733,-81.9034023,684a,35y,95.4h,23.29t/data=!3m1!1e3


The orientation of this meant it would have likely went under the bridge.


And also what appears to be this gated bridge and another waterway:


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3774103,-81.8970085,244a,35y,95.4h,23.39t/data=!3m1!1e3


Through the process of looking at the area and writing this post at the same time, I think I can safely conclude that a waterway was planned here and never done or abandoned or something like that, hence the ridiculously tall bridge.

[davewiecking]

The above bridge adjacent the Eureka Dam is mentioned in Wikipedia's article on the Cross Florida Barge Canal.

[index]

The above bridge adjacent the Eureka Dam is mentioned in Wikipedia's article on the Cross Florida Barge Canal.

Huh, that's really neat. I never knew that was a thing.

[MCRoads]

Here's this bizarre bridge on Marion Co Route 316 in Florida.


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.372035,-81.8987776,3a,60y,127.36h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spUr3Pe7AvLwV2PlORViJuQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656



It starts on the ground and goes to rise above the treetops, then suddenly goes back down, only to clear... this??



https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3722574,-81.8990698,3a,75y,130.71h,94.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYoia_y1-mUD-6kFvlU7Xfg!2e0!7i3328!8i1664


I have no idea why that is. Part of the height could be due to the higher elevation on one side, but that still doesn't explain why it continues to go higher to clear a random road in the middle of the woods in extremely flat terrain. The wood around the supports would be to prevent boats from hitting the supports, which may  mean a waterway may have either existed or been planned for this location that would need to clear tall water traffic, this is the only plausible explanation I can think of. There's also a dam further upstream.


 Possibly, perhaps an industrial installation was planned which would have needed to have a canal with large cargo, or something like that? Like the bridge before the John Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. I don't know.


The presence of some sort of waterway or installation is also supported by not only a dam, but also what appears to be this abandoned lock and dam next to it:


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3784733,-81.9034023,684a,35y,95.4h,23.29t/data=!3m1!1e3


The orientation of this meant it would have likely went under the bridge.


And also what appears to be this gated bridge and another waterway:


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3774103,-81.8970085,244a,35y,95.4h,23.39t/data=!3m1!1e3


Through the process of looking at the area and writing this post at the same time, I think I can safely conclude that a waterway was planned here and never done or abandoned or something like that, hence the ridiculously tall bridge.

The wooden structures below the bridge are Boat Deflectors, used in waterways, supporting that this was, or was going to be, a waterway.

[danthecatrafficlightfan]

these couple of overpasses  in Portland ,or are pretty high 

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.5039719,-122.6732225,3a,75y,329.24h,89.63t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sxporp4uIPX7DrTSpHC7acQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dxporp4uIPX7DrTSpHC7acQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D290.4782%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.5351329,-122.6876366,3a,75y,201.74h,100.7t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1snT1fMRFLQ1nTvcWBT6xFcw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Ben114]

Park Hill Ave over I-90 in Millbury, Massachusetts.

[Flint1979]

(Without going back thru the rest of the thread to see if this was mentioned) Bridges that go over rivers and need some extended height for marine traffic, tend to be high overpasses for roads near to or alongside the river, such as https://goo.gl/maps/jAzSYh6WPWr .

Like this situation right here. This is the Zilwaukee Bridge in Michigan (I-75/US-23) on the M-13 side

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.4771816,-83.9066466,3a,75y,354.66h,88.09t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sRG2jJdhUW_u3J5oYSGvQug!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DRG2jJdhUW_u3J5oYSGvQug%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D87.81658%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100

This is on the other side of the river

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.4831735,-83.9170912,3a,75y,6.09h,84.76t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1s1YC3l2cCPcauPMmAmUKk_Q!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D1YC3l2cCPcauPMmAmUKk_Q%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D114.03549%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100

[jmd41280]

Here's this bizarre bridge on Marion Co Route 316 in Florida.


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.372035,-81.8987776,3a,60y,127.36h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spUr3Pe7AvLwV2PlORViJuQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656



It starts on the ground and goes to rise above the treetops, then suddenly goes back down, only to clear... this??



https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3722574,-81.8990698,3a,75y,130.71h,94.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYoia_y1-mUD-6kFvlU7Xfg!2e0!7i3328!8i1664


I have no idea why that is. Part of the height could be due to the higher elevation on one side, but that still doesn't explain why it continues to go higher to clear a random road in the middle of the woods in extremely flat terrain. The wood around the supports would be to prevent boats from hitting the supports, which may  mean a waterway may have either existed or been planned for this location that would need to clear tall water traffic, this is the only plausible explanation I can think of. There's also a dam further upstream.


 Possibly, perhaps an industrial installation was planned which would have needed to have a canal with large cargo, or something like that? Like the bridge before the John Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. I don't know.


The presence of some sort of waterway or installation is also supported by not only a dam, but also what appears to be this abandoned lock and dam next to it:


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3784733,-81.9034023,684a,35y,95.4h,23.29t/data=!3m1!1e3


The orientation of this meant it would have likely went under the bridge.


And also what appears to be this gated bridge and another waterway:


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3774103,-81.8970085,244a,35y,95.4h,23.39t/data=!3m1!1e3


Through the process of looking at the area and writing this post at the same time, I think I can safely conclude that a waterway was planned here and never done or abandoned or something like that, hence the ridiculously tall bridge.

I'm thinking this was built for the now-cancelled Cross Florida Barge Canal.

[ibthebigd]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Clay Ferry Bridge near Lexington Ky.

9041 KY-2328
https://maps.app.goo.gl/VQLtKDdiuYYX1k1s9

SM-G950U

[edwaleni]

Here's this bizarre bridge on Marion Co Route 316 in Florida.


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.372035,-81.8987776,3a,60y,127.36h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spUr3Pe7AvLwV2PlORViJuQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656



It starts on the ground and goes to rise above the treetops, then suddenly goes back down, only to clear... this??



https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3722574,-81.8990698,3a,75y,130.71h,94.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYoia_y1-mUD-6kFvlU7Xfg!2e0!7i3328!8i1664


I have no idea why that is. Part of the height could be due to the higher elevation on one side, but that still doesn't explain why it continues to go higher to clear a random road in the middle of the woods in extremely flat terrain. The wood around the supports would be to prevent boats from hitting the supports, which may  mean a waterway may have either existed or been planned for this location that would need to clear tall water traffic, this is the only plausible explanation I can think of. There's also a dam further upstream.


 Possibly, perhaps an industrial installation was planned which would have needed to have a canal with large cargo, or something like that? Like the bridge before the John Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. I don't know.


The presence of some sort of waterway or installation is also supported by not only a dam, but also what appears to be this abandoned lock and dam next to it:


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3784733,-81.9034023,684a,35y,95.4h,23.29t/data=!3m1!1e3


The orientation of this meant it would have likely went under the bridge.


And also what appears to be this gated bridge and another waterway:


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3774103,-81.8970085,244a,35y,95.4h,23.39t/data=!3m1!1e3


Through the process of looking at the area and writing this post at the same time, I think I can safely conclude that a waterway was planned here and never done or abandoned or something like that, hence the ridiculously tall bridge.

I'm thinking this was built for the now-cancelled Cross Florida Barge Canal.

This is correct.  There are several bridges and locks that were built for this canal but never saw their purpose once the project was terminated.

The massive Ocala Locks complex to get boats over the Ocala Ridge was excavated but never constructed. Today it is part of a large park.

If anyone is interested, there is a great book called "Ditch of Dreams" by Steve Noll that covers the history of this canal going back to the Spanish Era.

What the implications were once it got cancelled (for good).

https://www.amazon.com/Ditch-Dreams-Florida-Struggle-Floridas/dp/0813061733/

[ari-s-drives]

Not as high as some of the other ones, but there is a massive bridge of I-580 over Castro Valley Blvd in Castro Valley, CA

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.7012716,-122.0343218,3a,90y,311.87h,92.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1snN9dGrkgF3-Qo6LM7TDN_Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[jmacswimmer]

I see plenty of I-68 examples throughout this thread, but I don't think anyone mentioned the Blooming Rose Road overpass a couple miles east of the WV/MD border.

[webny99]

How about this bridge in Louisiana's bayou country?

[Flint1979]

I saw one somewhere in Indiana along the new section of I-69 the other day. I can't remember exactly where it was though.

[sernum]

Here's this bizarre bridge on Marion Co Route 316 in Florida.


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.372035,-81.8987776,3a,60y,127.36h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spUr3Pe7AvLwV2PlORViJuQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656


It starts on the ground and goes to rise above the treetops, then suddenly goes back down, only to clear... this??



https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3722574,-81.8990698,3a,75y,130.71h,94.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYoia_y1-mUD-6kFvlU7Xfg!2e0!7i3328!8i1664


I have no idea why that is. Part of the height could be due to the higher elevation on one side, but that still doesn't explain why it continues to go higher to clear a random road in the middle of the woods in extremely flat terrain. The wood around the supports would be to prevent boats from hitting the supports, which may  mean a waterway may have either existed or been planned for this location that would need to clear tall water traffic, this is the only plausible explanation I can think of. There's also a dam further upstream.


 Possibly, perhaps an industrial installation was planned which would have needed to have a canal with large cargo, or something like that? Like the bridge before the John Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. I don't know.


The presence of some sort of waterway or installation is also supported by not only a dam, but also what appears to be this abandoned lock and dam next to it:


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3784733,-81.9034023,684a,35y,95.4h,23.29t/data=!3m1!1e3


The orientation of this meant it would have likely went under the bridge.


And also what appears to be this gated bridge and another waterway:


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3774103,-81.8970085,244a,35y,95.4h,23.39t/data=!3m1!1e3


Through the process of looking at the area and writing this post at the same time, I think I can safely conclude that a waterway was planned here and never done or abandoned or something like that, hence the ridiculously tall bridge.

I'm thinking this was built for the now-cancelled Cross Florida Barge Canal.

This is correct.  There are several bridges and locks that were built for this canal but never saw their purpose once the project was terminated.

The massive Ocala Locks complex to get boats over the Ocala Ridge was excavated but never constructed. Today it is part of a large park.

If anyone is interested, there is a great book called "Ditch of Dreams" by Steve Noll that covers the history of this canal going back to the Spanish Era.

What the implications were once it got cancelled (for good).

https://www.amazon.com/Ditch-Dreams-Florida-Struggle-Floridas/dp/0813061733/

Am I crazy or can I see Orlando from this bridge?

[empirestate]

How about this bridge in Louisiana's bayou country?

I'd put that in the same category I discussed earlier (cf. replies #19 and #44). It's really a viaduct, as distinct from an overpass.

[Bobby5280]

When I first saw this thread I thought of "tallest overpasses" as things like fly-over ramps in a freeway to freeway interchange, not just outright bridges.

If we're talking the main lanes of a highway spanning high above something else then I-11 over the Colorado River (the Mike O'Callaghan—Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge) by Hoover Dam clearly takes the prize. The bridge has already been mentioned previously in this thread. It is the largest concrete arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. The road deck is 890' above the river. The Royal Gorge Bridge is the only one in the United States with a taller deck, but that deck is used mostly by pedestrians. The I-11 bridge over the Colorado is a full time highway bridge (even though it does have a pedestrian walkway on the Hoover Dam side of the bride). I think the bridge looks much more impressive when you drive under it via the road that goes over Hoover Dam. That's kind of stomach churning. But it's not so bad driving over it. The road deck is fairly wide and the concrete Jersey barriers block a lot of the view.

But speaking of stomach-churning, there are fly-over ramps in some freeway interchanges that have made me a bit more nervous. One example is in Wichita Falls, TX at the interchange between Kell Freeway and the US-287 freeway that turns into I-44 a few blocks North. The tallest ramp in the interchange is Kell Freeway Eastbound to US-287 Northbound. It's a skinny, one lane ramp that looks a little like the first hill of a roller coaster. When I drive on it I keep my eyes on the road deck and don't look left or right. Here's a view going under that ramp (it's the best view available in Street View):
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8975635,-98.4933467,3a,75y,182.1h,98.17t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNX_-UZa9BMSHhC-rh0xRZg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[bwana39]

Here's this bizarre bridge on Marion Co Route 316 in Florida.


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.372035,-81.8987776,3a,60y,127.36h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spUr3Pe7AvLwV2PlORViJuQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656



It starts on the ground and goes to rise above the treetops, then suddenly goes back down, only to clear... this??



https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3722574,-81.8990698,3a,75y,130.71h,94.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYoia_y1-mUD-6kFvlU7Xfg!2e0!7i3328!8i1664


I have no idea why that is. Part of the height could be due to the higher elevation on one side, but that still doesn't explain why it continues to go higher to clear a random road in the middle of the woods in extremely flat terrain. The wood around the supports would be to prevent boats from hitting the supports, which may  mean a waterway may have either existed or been planned for this location that would need to clear tall water traffic, this is the only plausible explanation I can think of. There's also a dam further upstream.


 Possibly, perhaps an industrial installation was planned which would have needed to have a canal with large cargo, or something like that? Like the bridge before the John Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. I don't know.


The presence of some sort of waterway or installation is also supported by not only a dam, but also what appears to be this abandoned lock and dam next to it:


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3784733,-81.9034023,684a,35y,95.4h,23.29t/data=!3m1!1e3


The orientation of this meant it would have likely went under the bridge.


And also what appears to be this gated bridge and another waterway:


https://www.google.com/maps/@29.3774103,-81.8970085,244a,35y,95.4h,23.39t/data=!3m1!1e3


Through the process of looking at the area and writing this post at the same time, I think I can safely conclude that a waterway was planned here and never done or abandoned or something like that, hence the ridiculously tall bridge.

I think I have it figured out. I think there was a straightening of the river to facilitate marine traffic. Those are obviously marine navigation curbs.  For some reason, they started and  quit. (I saw that on Sulphur River in Texas. The gap was not nearly this long and the river eventually eroded through the plug that was left.) During the seventies and a to a  lesser point the eighties, construction projects ESPECIALLY waterway projects were started and environmentalists (primarily, but there were others) had the partially completed projects stopped and they were never completed. Some projects were also (much like road projects) done a little bit at a time and the demands shifted or the money dried up and they never get completed. This bridge is over fifty years old.

I agree, I wish I knew the entire history on this one. Bridge hunter says a canal was planned, but has no details. https://bridgehunter.com/fl/marion/bh83626/
**********************************************************************************

I went back and scoured this thread. Apparently they had answered the this question already....

I'm thinking this was built for the now-cancelled Cross Florida Barge Canal.

This is correct.  There are several bridges and locks that were built for this canal but never saw their purpose once the project was terminated.

The massive Ocala Locks complex to get boats over the Ocala Ridge was excavated but never constructed. Today it is part of a large park.

If anyone is interested, there is a great book called "Ditch of Dreams" by Steve Noll that covers the history of this canal going back to the Spanish Era.

What the implications were once it got cancelled (for good).

https://www.amazon.com/Ditch-Dreams-Florida-Struggle-Floridas/dp/0813061733/

[SW Indiana]

I saw one somewhere in Indiana along the new section of I-69 the other day. I can't remember exactly where it was though.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0720803,-86.6287567,3a,75y,88.42h,94.08t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sU7obBMbO0A_I3qIBWneRNg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

[webny99]

I-480 over Valley Pkwy in Fairview Park, OH (just outside Cleveland).

[Flint1979]

I saw one somewhere in Indiana along the new section of I-69 the other day. I can't remember exactly where it was though.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0720803,-86.6287567,3a,75y,88.42h,94.08t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sU7obBMbO0A_I3qIBWneRNg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

Yeah that's it. It always amuses me when a GSV of a new Interstate has the old GSV before the Interstate existed. Looks like they knocked down a few houses at that bridge.

[MCRoads]

When I first saw this thread I thought of "tallest overpasses" as things like fly-over ramps in a freeway to freeway interchange, not just outright bridges.

If we're talking the main lanes of a highway spanning high above something else then I-11 over the Colorado River (the Mike O'Callaghan—Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge) by Hoover Dam clearly takes the prize. The bridge has already been mentioned previously in this thread. It is the largest concrete arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. The road deck is 890' above the river. The Royal Gorge Bridge is the only one in the United States with a taller deck, but that deck is used mostly by pedestrians. The I-11 bridge over the Colorado is a full time highway bridge (even though it does have a pedestrian walkway on the Hoover Dam side of the bride). I think the bridge looks much more impressive when you drive under it via the road that goes over Hoover Dam. That's kind of stomach churning. But it's not so bad driving over it. The road deck is fairly wide and the concrete Jersey barriers block a lot of the view.

But speaking of stomach-churning, there are fly-over ramps in some freeway interchanges that have made me a bit more nervous. One example is in Wichita Falls, TX at the interchange between Kell Freeway and the US-287 freeway that turns into I-44 a few blocks North. The tallest ramp in the interchange is Kell Freeway Eastbound to US-287 Northbound. It's a skinny, one lane ramp that looks a little like the first hill of a roller coaster. When I drive on it I keep my eyes on the road deck and don't look left or right. Here's a view going under that ramp (it's the best view available in Street View):
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8975635,-98.4933467,3a,75y,182.1h,98.17t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNX_-UZa9BMSHhC-rh0xRZg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Better not go to Dallas then, this ramp is 138 feet tall! That is as high as a 12 story building! In my neighboring state of Wyoming, it would be the second tallest structure in the state! And, because I was curious, I compared it to other stat’s highest structures. If built in Vermont, it would be the highest structure in the state!

[Bobby5280]

Better not go to Dallas then, this ramp is 138 feet tall! That is as high as a 12 story building!

I've driven thru the Dallas High Five interchange many times, including on those top level ramps. The ramps are really tall, but they don't seem all that bad due to all the other ramps nearby and other levels of bridges running underneath. In Wichita Falls that tall flyover ramp from EB Kell Freeway to I-44 is more isolated and out in the open. That allows the height of that ramp to seem more exaggerated, even if it isn't as tall as the top level ramps in the Dallas High Five interchange.