A Floating Road for Automobiles 



A plank roadway built over a California stream 

 enables automobiles to cross under their own power 



Above: Light cars pass 

 over the semi-floating 

 bridge at a speed of 

 about ten miles an hour 



A SEMI-FLOAT- 

 IXG bridgf, oiu 

 luiiidrc'cl and lour 

 feet in Icnictli, has l)(.-i.'n ron- 

 structed l)y the California Hii;h\va\- Com- 

 mission over Castaic Crci'U on ihc rcrcnll\' 

 opened I-os Angeles to Bakcrslicld ronte. 

 The ford at this jioint has long been a 

 menace to automoljile travel, because of 

 the varying depth of water and the extreme- 

 ly sandy bottom. Teams ha\e, therefore, 

 been maintained at tiie crossing In- the 

 county to tow autom()i)iles across. While 

 effective, this method was very unsatis- 

 factory. 



To relieve this condilion a sinii-lloatiii.u 

 liigh\va\' bri<lge was constiiiclcd. A plank 

 road was built in sections and held together 

 by cables in such a way that a good surface 

 would be continuous across the ford. Tin- 

 depth of tile water was thus decreased, not 

 only by the thickness of the plank ,uid 

 stringers, but also by the .imounl wiiii h 

 the tires would otherwise sink into the Mtfi, 

 sandy boitom. 



Afic-r the M'ctions were bnill on shore 

 and llo.iled to ihe crossing, ihev were held 



At left: The bridge 

 plans. The supporting ca- 

 ble was twentj--five feet 

 above the plank sections 



together b\' a three- 

 quarter-inch cabli' 

 threaded through c\x-bolis 

 in each section. At twelve- 

 foot intervals the cable was attachetl b\- 

 one-half-inch cables to a seven-i'ighth-incli 

 c.ible stretched across twent\--hve feet 

 above the plank sections, and drawn 

 sulliciently taut to support it four feet 

 above high water. 



One end of the bridge was securelv 

 anchored with a three (luarter-inch cabh 

 clamped to the e\'el)olt on the last twelve- 

 foot section, and m.ide fast to the shore. 

 The opposite vnd was lightly secured with 

 a one-half-inth cable to the shore. This 

 was done so that in case of high watei 

 carr\ing drift against the bridge, one 

 end would be rele.jsed from its anchoring 

 I>oint, allowing tlii' bridge to swing around 

 to the opposite bank. 



The bridge w.is ('omi>leled in two d.iys 

 .11 ,1 cost of ?i7.5o for labor and 5i-'> for 

 m.ilerial, freight and I'.irtage. Light car.-- 

 CHI p.iss owr it at a speeil of about ten 

 miles .m hour without submerging llie 

 dilTerenl sections .is the\ p.iss over. 



H'a 



