Pit River Bridge

{{about-distinguish-text|the bridge in California|the Pitt River Bridge in British Columbia}}

{{Infobox Bridge

|bridge_name = Pit River Bridge

|official_name = Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Bridge

|image = Shasta Lake 2016 Pit River Bridge.jpg

|caption =

|carries = {{jct|state=CA|I|5}} and Union Pacific Railroad (former Southern Pacific line)

|crosses = Shasta Lake

|locale = Shasta County, California

|design = Warren deck truss

|spans = 8

|pierswater = 7

|mainspan = {{convert|630|ft|m}}

|length = {{convert|3588|ft|m}}

|height = {{convert|500|ft|m}}

|open = 1942

|coordinates = {{coord|40.762337|-122.318886|display=inline,title}}

}}

The Pit River Bridge (officially the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Bridge) is a double deck, deck truss, road and rail bridge over Shasta Lake in Shasta County, California. The bridge, carrying Interstate 5 on its upper deck and Union Pacific Railroad on its lower deck, was built in 1942 as part of the construction of the Shasta Dam/Shasta Lake reservoir system.{{cite web | url=http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/eab/econ_impact_assess_files/pit_river_bridge_report_final_2014.pdf | title=Pit River Bridge Impact Study of I-5 Closure From a Catastrophic Failure | publisher=Caltrans | date=September 2012 | accessdate=September 26, 2015}} The Pit River Bridge was constructed to replace the Lower Pit River Bridge, as the rising waters of the Shasta Lake reservoir would have put the older bridge underwater.{{cite web | url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsm9_008585.pdf | title=Sightseeing on Shasta Lake | publisher=United States Forest Service | accessdate=September 26, 2015}}{{cite web | url=https://www.usbr.gov/mp/ncao/shasta/virtual_tour.pdf | title=Shasta Dam: A Tour Through Time | publisher=United States Bureau of Reclamation | accessdate=September 26, 2015}} The entire bridge spans {{convert|3588|ft|m}} long on the upper deck and {{convert|2754|ft|m}} on the lower deck. With a height of {{convert|500|ft|m}} above the old Pit River bed, it is structurally the highest double decked bridge in the United States; however, today the bridge sits only about {{convert|40|ft|m}} above the water when Shasta Lake is full.

At the time it was built, the highway on the bridge was signed as U.S. Route 99 and the rail line was owned by Southern Pacific. The Coast Starlight, the passenger train line operated by Amtrak that runs between Los Angeles and Seattle, also uses the bridge.

The bridge is officially known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Bridge, to honor military veterans from California who have fought in foreign wars.{{cite web|title=2014 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California|url=http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tsip/hseb/products/Named_Freeways_Final.pdf|publisher=California Department of Transportation|accessdate=September 26, 2015}}

The Pit River Bridge was the subject of the 1954 Pulitzer Prize for Photography winner entitled "Rescue on Pit River Bridge", taken by Virginia Schau.{{cite news|last1=Dhaliwal|first1=Ranjit|title=Pictures from the past: Rescue on Pit River Bridge|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/picture/2013/jun/12/rescue-on-pit-river-bridge-photography|website=The Guardian|accessdate=4 March 2018}}

Pit River bridge, Shasta County, California. Notice the protective nets underneath (cut).jpg|Pit River Bridge

Pit River Bridge.jpg|Pit River Bridge before its pylons were inundated by Shasta Lake

Construction work on Pit River bridge. Shasta County, California (cut).jpg|Construction work on Pit River bridge

Pit River Bridge (circa 1942).jpg|Circa 1942

Rescue on Pit River Bridge.jpg|"Rescue on Pit River Bridge"