John O'Connell Bridge

The John O'Connell Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the Sitka Channel located in Sitka, Alaska. The bridge connects the town of Sitka on Baranof Island to the airport and Coast Guard Station on Japonski Island. Until the bridge was completed in 1971, the commute was only achievable through a ferry service. The bridge is named after John W. O'Connell, a former mayor of Sitka. The two-lane bridge is 1,255 feet (383 m) in total length, with a main span of 450 feet (140 m).[3] The bridge was also the United States' first vehicular cable-stayed girder spanned bridge.[1] The four 100-foot (30 m)-high steel pylons carry two three-cable sets, each carrying a section of the bridge deck.[4][5] A man from Bellingham, Washington died in August 2015 after jumping off the bridge to swim ashore.[6]

John O'Connell Bridge
The John O'Connell Bridge over the Sitka Channel
Coordinates	57.047899°N 135.340627°W[1]
Carries	2 lanes of AK-935
Crosses	Sitka Channel
Locale	Sitka, Alaska
Characteristics
Design	Cable-stayed bridge
Material	Steel (pylons)[2] composite steel-reinforced concrete (deck)[2]
Total length	1,255 feet (383 m)
Width	38 feet (11.6 m)
Longest span	450 feet (137 m)
Clearance below	52 feet (15.8 m)
History
Construction end	1971[2]
Opened	1972
Statistics
Daily traffic	4,900 (2008)
Location

See also

• Captain William Moore Bridge, the only cantilever cable-stayed bridge in Alaska

References

1. "O'Connell Bridge, Sitka Harbor, Sitka, Sitka Borough, AK". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
2. O'Connell Bridge at Structurae
3. http://dot.alaska.gov/stwddes/desbridge/assets/pdf/2019bridgeinventory.pdf
4. "Where Did the Russians Settle in Alaska?".
5. "O'Connell Bridge, Sitka, Alaska". www.johnweeks.com.
6. "Bellingham man dies after jump from Alaska bridge". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2020-09-12.