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217-foot pylon casts a sundial
pattern |
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Lights cast an ethereal glow from
the bridge's deck |
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Driving along I-5 near Redding, California, you
wouldn't guess that a glistening jewel lies just west along
the Sacramento River. Nestled in Turtle Bay Exploration Park,
the Sundial pedestrian bridge was completed in 2004 and connects
the two sections of the park with grace and splendor.
The most interesting aspect of the bridge is
the fact that it never touches the water at any point. It
is built with steel, glass and granite and appears to cantilever
over the water, protecting environmentally sensitive areas
and salmon habitat. There are actually viewing platforms at
both ends, giving visitors a variety of vista points from
which to see this marvel of design ingenuity. The bridge has
been widely praised for its protection of the salmon habitat
with nary an ounce of concrete or steel tramping in the salmon
nursery.
And yes, it actually is a sundial. The 217-foot
pylon that holds the nearly one mile of cable supporting the
bridge casts a sundial pattern in a garden on the north side
of the bridge. The bridge is positioned exactly in a north-south
alignment in order to have the sundial be accurate.
The bridge is open every day and a great time
to visit is near dusk, as the bridge is lighted at night and
is quite spectacular when viewed with its ethereal glow emanating
from the deck. During the day, the opaque aqua glass floor
panels allow you to actually see people walking below as well
as the river.
Also intriguing is that the $23 million needed
to build the bridge, which was designed by Spanish architect/engineer
Santiago Calatrava, was funded almost entirely with private
funds, mostly from the McConnell Foundation of Redding. Only
a mere $4 million came from federal or state funds. The story
of how the bridge came to be is the story of many high-profile
public works projects - dissent over money, dissent over design,
and dissent over necessity. After all, it is merely a pedestrian
bridge. But in the end, it was people of great vision (and
deep pockets) who prevailed, and the Sundial Bridge is now
an everlasting community piece of art, visitor attraction,
and so much more.
In addition to the 700-foot bridge, Turtle Bay
Exploration Park has a variety of both permanent and rotating
exhibits, as well as summer concerts in the park, a café
by the river with a view of the bridge, and a 20-acre arboretum
and garden.
To reach the park and the Sundial bridge:
Take exit 678 from Interstate 5, merging onto Highway 44 westbound.
Take exit 1 and follow the signs to Turtle Bay Exploration
Park. Visit www.turtlebay.org
to learn more about this bridge and for seasonal hours.
Carol
White
June 11, 2006
 Carol
White writes frequently about the road tripping
experience. She and her husband, Phil, are avid road
trippers, taking off for short one-week jaunts and up
to a year-long adventure. The Whites co-authored the
best selling book, Live
Your Road Trip Dream: Travel for a Year for the Cost
of Staying Home, which recently won the Benjamin
Franklin Award for Marketing Excellence and Innovation.
Carol is a frequent contributor to the Great American
RoadTrip Forum. When they aren't traveling, the Whites
live in Wilsonville, Oregon where they enjoy golf, community
activities and, most of all, their many grandchildren. |
