What are your favorites?
One of mine is Rye Hill Rd. over I-49 (https://www.google.com/maps/@35.2754983,-94.3463589,3a,60y,351.21h,91.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sytjSyN-9fOLzHpsW0vonuA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)
The Bay Bridge (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.2141693,-77.5163996,3a,75y,263.66h,84.74t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sjhuBaHV6e1_whq9s8bkfbw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656), particularly from this on-ramp. It's a rush.
(Disclaimer: Not the Bay Bridge in San Fran :-P)
ETA: Are we limited to bridges over other roads? Mine's over water, and I posted it before clicking the link in the OP.
If the OP indeed references all highway bridges rather than just overpasses, then my all-time favorite is the approach to the Coos Bay bridge on US 101 north of its namesake OR city. Dramatic as all get-out!
My favourite would be those for Cuyahoga River on the Ohio Turnpike. They are impressive from either direction.
Quote from: sparker on January 25, 2018, 06:39:53 PM
If the OP indeed references all highway bridges rather than just overpasses, then my all-time favorite is the approach to the Coos Bay bridge on US 101 north of its namesake OR city. Dramatic as all get-out!
Yes, in general terms.
iPhone
1. Coos Bay on Coos Bay, OR
2. Astoria-Melger Brishe: Astoria side.
3. St. Mary's River, Glacier National Park (don't ask why).
Hiking: Goat lake hiking bridge. :bigass:
TX 73/87, Veterans & Rainbow Bridges over Neches R, Bridge City (Port Arthur) TX.
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.9804729,-93.8701965,14z
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Bridge_(Texas)#/media/File:RainbowBridge_(Texas).jpg
Miles of flat land everywhere and then suddenly these two high bridges.
TX 360 over Colorado R, Austin TX.
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.3466342,-97.7988883,3a,75y,30.4h,70.35t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYXyXME0A6XL3EscReyX4yQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Softly rolling hills, numerous trees despite being fairly (sub)urban, gently up over the river, then through a deep cut.
US 90 over Pecos R, near Comstock TX.
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.7112492,-101.3542833,3a,75y,151.37h,65.65t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sh1ip86lFFW7ObLxp6HEcKw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.7103191,-101.3533029,3a,75y,195.1h,65.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1snB2Ewg-qnErW13XiYWh5ZQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
I guess what I like is that it's an innocuous approach, yet there's all the bridge structure and also all the road history "hidden in plain sight."
Well, since Rex went into pedestrian bridges, I'll add the Big Dam Bridge, I-430 bridge (both in Little Rock). Also, the Garrison bridge (US 64, Fort Smith). All three offer grand views of the Arkansas River.
*I-430 doesn't offer a sidewalk, and is while driving! To the [east], you can see the Big Damn Bridge (https://www.google.com/maps/@34.8018006,-92.3726508,3a,26.3y,126.41h,85.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTVli_9KVOJRtogItbowjUA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) and a rock outcropping/bluff for which I believe the French named Little Rock. Don't hold me to that.
iPhone
Quote from: TheArkansasRoadgeek on January 26, 2018, 08:58:32 AM
Well, since Rex went into pedestrian bridges...
I meant it as a joke/to have a little fun. I actually don't have an answer to that because if you've been to Goat Lake in the Goat Rocks, you'll realize that there isn't a bridge at goat lake. I didn't think anyone would catch that but it was fun anyway.
I don't know if you could count this as an approach, (but you are on US 33, the route the bridge carries) but the William S. Ritchie Jr. Bridge has a nice view as you're about to go on it.
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9352324,-81.7533198,3a,75y,306.4h,89.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1stsXOS8i5RIuMgPgnCO64jw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9345706,-81.7520271,3a,49.3y,296.76h,87.65t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smlIhQcwcjZ985qga7KG6Mw!2e0!7i3328!8i1664
The approach to the old Cooper River bridges was also impressive.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.static.flickr.com%2F3234%2F3069229256_60c4a25b4f.jpg&hash=181b47368c96dbb3da2a5125a399fe6613f4bb93)
Quote from: index on January 28, 2018, 07:06:54 AM
I don't know if you could count this as an approach, (but you are on US 33, the route the bridge carries) but the William S. Ritchie Jr. Bridge has a nice view as you're about to go on it.
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9352324,-81.7533198,3a,75y,306.4h,89.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1stsXOS8i5RIuMgPgnCO64jw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9345706,-81.7520271,3a,49.3y,296.76h,87.65t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smlIhQcwcjZ985qga7KG6Mw!2e0!7i3328!8i1664
The approach to the old Cooper River bridges was also impressive.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.static.flickr.com%2F3234%2F3069229256_60c4a25b4f.jpg&hash=181b47368c96dbb3da2a5125a399fe6613f4bb93)
Not quite what the topic refers to, but good nonetheless! (A)n [bridge] approach defined by Arkansas Standards (Not to reflect the national definition or another state's defining terminology) is the beginning and ending of what is "the approach" on either side of an overpass or bridge over water.
I was always partial to the I-39 bridge approaches over the Illinois River.
Quote from: index on January 28, 2018, 07:06:54 AM
I don't know if you could count this as an approach, (but you are on US 33, the route the bridge carries) but the William S. Ritchie Jr. Bridge has a nice view as you're about to go on it.
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9352324,-81.7533198,3a,75y,306.4h,89.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1stsXOS8i5RIuMgPgnCO64jw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9345706,-81.7520271,3a,49.3y,296.76h,87.65t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smlIhQcwcjZ985qga7KG6Mw!2e0!7i3328!8i1664
The approach to the old Cooper River bridges was also impressive.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.static.flickr.com%2F3234%2F3069229256_60c4a25b4f.jpg&hash=181b47368c96dbb3da2a5125a399fe6613f4bb93)
Christ. I remember having to drive over that when I was younger after my dad refused to because he has a strong fear of heights. I've not encountered a bridge so nerve wracking as that.
With floating pontoon bridges, the approaches lead to a downward slope:
(https://static.seattletimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/509c6ca0-5090-11e7-9ddc-918a7c11f12b-1020x388.jpg)
My favorite is the MMBT approach on the Newport News side.
Quote from: Bruce on February 12, 2018, 12:14:06 AM
With floating pontoon bridges, the approaches lead to a downward slope:
(https://static.seattletimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/509c6ca0-5090-11e7-9ddc-918a7c11f12b-1020x388.jpg)
Wow that looks cool!
Quote from: TheArkansasRoadgeek on January 25, 2018, 01:40:42 PM
What are your favorites?
One of mine is Rye Hill Rd. over I-49 (https://www.google.com/maps/@35.2754983,-94.3463589,3a,60y,351.21h,91.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sytjSyN-9fOLzHpsW0vonuA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)
What is interesting about that bridge? It looks like a typical UCEB to me.
Quote from: TheArkansasRoadgeek on January 26, 2018, 08:58:32 AM
*I-430 doesn't offer a sidewalk, and is while driving! To the [east], you can see the Big Damn Bridge (https://www.google.com/maps/@34.8018006,-92.3726508,3a,26.3y,126.41h,85.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTVli_9KVOJRtogItbowjUA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) and a rock outcropping/bluff for which I believe the French named Little Rock. Don't hold me to that.
La Petite Roche is underneath the southern part of the Junction Bridge in downtown Little Rock. It was mostly destroyed when the bridge was built.
In always like the Huey P. Long Bridge near New Orleans with the railroad rising in the middle. Being locomotives cannot have the grade autos can, the rails must rise sooner than the roads that feed it. On the west bank, I believe the climb starts 3 miles from the river. On the east bank, its hard to tell as the tracks deviate from the road at Jefferson Highway.
Since, technically, the entire length of it is a bridge approach, the Chicago Skyway.
Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay:
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.5319494,-88.0031047,3a,75y,297.59h,81.92t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sMZwY_6oc62-85h61J2og6w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
I don't know why I like this one. Probably because it seems to go high up and tower over Green Bay when you're on it
Biloxi Bay Bridge on US 90:
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.3922953,-88.8589609,3a,73.3y,85.83h,81.09t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sJUCacXWRSLGkv2VOXKwSmA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DJUCacXWRSLGkv2VOXKwSmA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D235.17917%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656
The approaches on the western (Arkansas) end of the Harahan Bridge across the river from Memphis are pretty awesome.
The western approaches of the doomed Clarendon Bridge over the White River in Arkansas are/were pretty damn badass as well.
For me its westbound on the Belt Pkwy and then the loop ramp to get on the Verrazano Bridge. You're practically going under the bridge, then climbing a ramp heading east that does a 180 to the right and takes you back to the bridge to cross it. Yeah traffic is at a standstill, but that view though.
Zilwaukee Bridge
Quote from: ftballfan on April 01, 2018, 12:40:21 PM
Zilwaukee Bridge
Yeah, that one's cool. So is the Veterans' Glass City Skyway in Toledo.
But nothing beats the mighty Mac. :awesomeface:
Quote from: inkyatari on February 08, 2018, 08:50:27 AM
I was always partial to the I-39 bridge approaches over the Illinois River.
I love coming into this from the south because you're driving across an open prairie and right after a small road cut as you drive downhill you're driving over the Illinois River Valley with no warning whatsoever. There's at least a short approach from the north, but it does sneak up on you.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crosscountryroads.com%2Fimages%2Fillinois%2Fi39nb%2F027-info-mm56.JPEG.jpg&hash=39071f4eb25fbf07363587169f75819f6a837b92)
The Marquam and Fremont Bridges in Portland (OR) are pretty impressive from all directions.
I-95 North in Portsmouth, NH. Once you've cleared Exit 7 near mile marker 15...THIS! :love:
(https://i.imgur.com/cKdTIFN.jpg)
Quote from: ftballfan on April 01, 2018, 12:40:21 PM
Zilwaukee Bridge
I drive over that bridge a lot. You can see it from the countryside for quite a few miles going to the east.
Mackinac Bridge
Second Huey Long (east). I'll throw in Delaware Memorial with its long, gradual rise. The old Tappan Zee was cool because of the long, flat western approach.
I think right now my favorite would be the West Belway over the St Johns River in Jacksonville.
It's fresh in mind because I drove it today, but I-90 over the Columbia River at Vantage (in the westbound direction).
Quote from: Flint1979 on April 13, 2018, 08:36:45 PM
Mackinac Bridge
Same. It was a clear day in late summer and I came in from US 2 on the west side, so you can see it for several miles before you get to it.
Quote from: mrose on May 27, 2018, 01:46:59 AM
Quote from: Flint1979 on April 13, 2018, 08:36:45 PM
Mackinac Bridge
Same. It was a clear day in late summer and I came in from US 2 on the west side, so you can see it for several miles before you get to it.
Second that. It's an awesome view from pretty much any direction.
Quote from: Flint1979 on April 13, 2018, 08:36:45 PM
Mackinac Bridge
yes
and look at the US 90 pic, you can see the old road underneath, it's cool
I like that LA I-10 pic too, good one
also I-69 Kentucky/Indiana border
Quote from: texaskdog on May 28, 2018, 05:44:37 PM
also I-69 Kentucky/Indiana border
You're kidding, right? This one has to be considered to be fictional, as it does not yet exist (nor have any design plans been finalized). Were you perhaps thinking of the I-65 Ohio River crossing (Kennedy & Lincoln bridges) or the I-64 (Minton bridge) in Louisville?
My favorite is the approach to the US 61-151 Dubuque-Wisconsin bridge over the Mississippi River.
https://goo.gl/maps/yKvbmUnt6sF2
Quote from: SSR_317 on May 30, 2018, 01:03:08 PM
Quote from: texaskdog on May 28, 2018, 05:44:37 PM
also I-69 Kentucky/Indiana border
You're kidding, right? This one has to be considered to be fictional, as it does not yet exist (nor have any design plans been finalized). Were you perhaps thinking of the I-65 Ohio River crossing (Kennedy & Lincoln bridges) or the I-64 (Minton bridge) in Louisville?
Or US41
Quote from: SSR_317 on May 30, 2018, 01:03:08 PM
Quote from: texaskdog on May 28, 2018, 05:44:37 PM
also I-69 Kentucky/Indiana border
You're kidding, right? This one has to be considered to be fictional, as it does not yet exist (nor have any design plans been finalized). Were you perhaps thinking of the I-65 Ohio River crossing (Kennedy & Lincoln bridges) or the I-64 (Minton bridge) in Louisville?
I think it's US 41. It turns into I-69 shortly thereafter.
The Key Bridge (Baltimore) does it for me from either approach.
Also agree about the Verrazano Narrows Bridge mentioned earlier.
Quote from: texaskdog on May 31, 2018, 10:20:57 AM
Quote from: SSR_317 on May 30, 2018, 01:03:08 PM
Quote from: texaskdog on May 28, 2018, 05:44:37 PM
also I-69 Kentucky/Indiana border
You're kidding, right? This one has to be considered to be fictional, as it does not yet exist (nor have any design plans been finalized). Were you perhaps thinking of the I-65 Ohio River crossing (Kennedy & Lincoln bridges) or the I-64 (Minton bridge) in Louisville?
I think it's US 41. It turns into I-69 shortly thereafter.
Yes, the existing bridge (technically, bridges) between Henderson, KY & Evansville, IN carries US 41. Current plans propose that one will be closed and the other be rehabbed once the planned I-69 crossing is built & opened. The post I-69 traffic projections supposedly say that a 2-lane crossing will be adequate and the cost of rehabbing both existing structures would be prohibitive. I feel they are making a mistake, as they fail to account for "shunpiking" (since the new crossing will be tolled), and for locals who don't want to go out of their way to get to the proposed Interstate crossing. We'll see what happens!