Just a short walk up Maple Street, next to the bridge you will find the Alsea Bay Historic Interpretive Center.  This is well worth the walk and visit to get a perspective of the history of Waldport and the Bay Bridge.

 

The bridge is visible from the Seals’ Landing and it’s history runs rich in Waldport culture  and industries of logging and fishing.  There are safe partitioned sidewalks going both directions on the bridge, and as low tide is approaching it a great eye’s view to the abundant marine life in the bay — particularly the bay seals that come to loaf and rest on the sand bars during low tide.

 

“With President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal Programs – such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Public Works Administration (PWA) – helping to provide some of the jobs and lend some of the money construction, the last watery gaps along the Oregon Coast Highway could be closed.”

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“Closing the last gaps in the Oregon Coast Highway was the job of Conde B. McCullough, bridge engineer for the Highway Commission since 1919. Over the next two years he had the responsibility of designing, supervising, and finishing the construction of the five major bridges that were to span, from north to south, Yaquina Bay at Newport, Alsea Bay at Waldport, the Siuslaw River at Florence, the Umpqua River at Reedsport, and Coos Bay at Coos Bay. By the spring of 1936, all five bridges with their soaring spires and elegant arches, their long viaducts and wide roadways and sidewalks were finished. The result was a marvel of engineering. The bridge has since been demolished and replaced.”

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The 1991 version of the Alsea Bay Bridge was designed with the  most important aspects of the new design included the main steel through arch and the included “Y” piers that gave the bridge a unique appearance yet still gave a since of bridge continuity throughout Oregon’s Pacific Coast Highway.

Length of largest span: 450.2 ft.—Total length: 2,910.2 ft. (0.6 mi.) -

Deck width: 64.0 ft.

 

The Historic Alsea Bay Bridge Interpretive Center in Waldport was constructed by the Oregon Department of Transportation as part of the bridge replacement project. It’s operated by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department with help from the Waldport Chamber of Commerce.  Clamming and crabbing demonstrations are led by guides from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department during the summer months. Check out the events calendar for program days and times.

Hours for the Alsea Bay Bridge Interpretive Center are 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, 7 days a week.

 

https://visittheoregoncoast.com/cities/waldport/activities/alsea-bay-historic-interpretive-center/