Cold Spring Canyon Arch Bridge

The current bridge was completed and opened to traffic in February 1964.{{Cite web|title=Cold Spring Canyon Bridge, State Route (SR) 154 from Post Mile (PM) 22.95 to 23.19, just north of the San Marcos Pass, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, CA|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/ca3902/|access-date=2020-06-08|website=Library of Congress}} It was constructed by U.S Steel Corp's American Bridge division and Massman Construction Co. The structure won awards for engineering, design, and beauty. It was in the top 5 longest span arch bridges of this "supported deck" type in the world until the 1990s.

Cold Spring Tavern, originally a stagecoach stop, is approximately 600m south of the bridge's west base in the canyon below, on a stub of Old San Marcos Pass Road (now named Stagecoach Rd.) connecting with SR 154 at Camino Cielo and Paradise Roads.

The bridge was designated as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1976.{{cite news |author= |title=Bridge tamed a treacherous detour |url=https://lompocrecord.com/lifestyles/columnist/roadside_attractions/bridge-tamed-a-treacherous-detour/article_2d17a9fe-b9d0-11e1-820d-001a4bcf887a.html |work=Lompoc Record |date=June 19, 2012 |access-date=March 6, 2021}}

Seismic retrofitting was completed in 1998 by American Bridge, one of the companies involved in the original construction.

{{As of |2012|March}}, the bridge had been the site of 55 suicides{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} since its completion, which is about one per year on average; however, some years have several more suicides, such as the eight deaths recorded in 2009. In an effort to prevent future incidents, California Department of Transportation installed a {{convert|9.5|ft|m|abbr=on}} tall barrier in the form of an inwardly-curved, finely-gridded mesh fence in March 2012.

{{cite news |last=Magnoli |first=Giana |date=March 1, 2012 |title=Caltrans Completes Suicide Barrier on Cold Spring Canyon Bridge |url=http://www.noozhawk.com/article/030112_cold_spring_bridge_suicide_barrier_complete |work=Noozhawk |access-date=February 6, 2022}} The fence cost $3.2 million. A Santa Monica man committed suicide from the bridge six months later in September 2012.{{Cite news|url=https://www.noozhawk.com/article/090712_despite_barrier_cold_spring_bridge_claims_new_victim|title=Despite Barrier, Cold Spring Bridge Claims New Victim|last=Bolton|first=Tom|date=September 8, 2012|work=Noozhawk|language=en|access-date=January 22, 2017}} The most recent suicide was in April 2019; Daniel Lacy was the son of actress Julia Duffy.{{cite news |last=Bolton |first=Tom |date=April 8, 2019 |title=Authorities Release Name of Man Who Jumped from Cold Spring Bridge |url=https://www.noozhawk.com/article/authorities_release_name_of_man_who_jumped_from_cold_spring_bridge |work=Noozhawk |access-date=February 6, 2022}}

File:Aerial-ColdSpringCynBridge.jpg|Aerial view of western end. Cold Spring Tavern is on Stagecoach Road beneath the bridge, just off the top of photo.

File:Cold Spring Canyon Arch Bridge ASCE Plaque.jpg|Plaque for American Society of Civil Engineers designated Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, on Stagecoach Road.

File:Cold Spring Canyon Arch Bridge (2).jpg|Cold Spring Canyon Bridge

• Gaviota Pass
• List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in California
• {{C|Santa Ynez Mountains}}
• {{C|Santa Ynez Valley}}
• Suicide bridge

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/projects/sb_cold_springs/index.html Cold Spring Bridge], dot.ca.gov, retrieved on 2007-01-31.
• [http://www.dot.ca.gov/ser/downloads/cultural/CalHwyIndex.pdf List of Awards] "Highways and Roads" (CA DOT CalHwyIndex.pdf), pg. 28
• {{Structurae|id=20005916}}
• [http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?id=2780 "Fatal Attraction - Cold Spring Toll Hits 47"], EdHat.com, November 28, 2008
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090217073341/http://www.b-t.com/projects/cldsprg.htm Buckland & Taylor Ltd..com: Seismic retrofit in 1999]
• [https://www.flickr.com/photos/jw4pix/3142052793/ 2008 Flickr.com: Aerial photo]
• {{HAER |survey=CA-2298 |id=ca3902 |title=Cold Spring Canyon Bridge, State Route (SR) 154, Santa Barbara County, CA |photos=17 |data=41 |cap=2}}

{{Santa Ynez River}}

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Category:Road bridges in California

Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Santa Barbara County, California

Category:Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States

Category:Steel bridges in the United States

Category:Santa Ynez Mountains

Category:Bridges completed in 1963

Category:1963 establishments in California

Category:Historic American Engineering Record in California

Category:Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks