East Verdi Bridge, Route 425, Spanning Truckee River, West of I-80 & State Route 425, Verdi

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER NEV,16-VER,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

B-3 78, State Route 425 spanning the Truckee River miles west of the east junction of and Verdi, Washoe County, Nevada U.S.G.S. 7.5 minute Verdi, Nevada, quadrangle, A Universal Transverse Mercator coordinates: 11.244800.O79000 Date of; Construction: Engineer: George Egan, Nevada Highway Department Builder: Isbell Construction Company, Reno, Nevada Nevada Rock and Sand Co. Inc., Reno, Nevada

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER NEV,16-VER,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The East Verdi River Bridge is one of only two examples of single span concrete arch-thru bridges in Nevada, This type of structure has been rarely used in this state. Given the complexity of design and construction several other types of structures were in wide use that would have spanned the Truckee in a more cost effective fashion. The open arch design is aesthetically pleasing and integrates well with the environment. The concrete balustrade is a blend of art deco and classical design elements. This bridge was a vital crossing point along old US-40, the first transcontinental highway. Report Prepared Kenneth C.

Knight, by: Environmental Consultant Environmental Services Division Nevada Department of Transportation South Stewart Street Carson City, N.evada Date: February I East Verdi Bridge HAER No, Page #2 HISTORICAL NARRATIVE -

Verdi River Bridges Description

The East/West Verdi River Bridges (N.D.O.T. numbers and share the same Arch-thru design. They differ only slightly in the curve of the main arch and the length of the approaches. The essential design element of the bridges are the parallel twin arches spanning the Truckee River. In both cases the arches are on centers at the footings. The main difference between the bridges is that the curve of the arch on is 20' above the center of the footing base and this is only 16' in the case of The arches are of concrete with reinforced steel cores. Each arch is tied together with two horizontal stringers at a third distance of the curve. Rising vertical to the floorbeams and deck are ten pairs of columns on 11 '9" centers.

The approaches on B-3 78 are 48 ' , for a 96' total , and the entire structure is in length. The approaches on are 36' , for a 72! total, and the entire structure is in length. Both bridges are 32' wide at the outer edge of the rails. The superstructure accommodates two 13' lanes and each bridge has a -3' wide walkway/rail on each side. The road surface consists of 10" of concrete with asphalt over the t original pour. The balustrade is of reinforced concrete with a blend of art deco and classical design elements. The rail ends feature a treatment in which a quarter ellipse and a circle on a 2' radius gracefully curve to meet a massive tapered column. From this art deco treatment the rail features 10" wide classical open arches with a rail cap 10" in cross section.

The rail from the road surface is slightly over in height. CONSTRUCTION The contracts for both East/West Verdi River Bridges were won by the same company; the Isbell Construction Company, East Fourth Street, Reno, Nevada. Contract awarded on June 24, was for The contract amount included the construction of miles of road in addition to the East Verdi River Bridge, B-3 78, Work on this project started on September 30, and ended on June 22, While Isbell Construction Company was the prime contractor on the project, the actual construction of the bridge was sub-contracted to Nevada Rock and Sand Co., Inc., 307 Morrill Avc. , Reno, Nevada, The sub-contract paid Nevada Rock and Sand Co., Inc. a total of for work on the bridge.

In the case of the West Verdi River Bridge, the records are incomplete as to the date Isbell Construction Company won contract Indications are that the contract was let near the end of The contract was for and this included a mile section of road in addition to the bridge, For its work on construe ting Nevada Rock and Sand Co. , Inc. , t again sub-contractine the bridge construction, was paid The sub- contract was finalized on March 1, and the bridge was completed by September 18, East Verdi Bridge HAER No. Page #3 The East/West Verdi River Bridges were constructed over a period of one year, from the fall of to the end of summer The most important part of the construction of these bridges was completed in the winter months of 39.

In both cases construction over the winter was used to facilitate the completion of footings, falseworks and arches during the low water months. As an example, the intersection of the base of the arch and the footing on B-3 78 is at an altitude of A.S.L. There is a 20' rise from this point to the bottom of the arch and flood waters had risen 11' to in At this water level work to construct a bridge could not have been accomplished. Fortunately, the winter of was reported in construction notes to have been normal: cold, light snow in Verdi, and no floods. It is interesting to note the quantities of materials that went into the construction of the East/West Verdi River Bridges. The structures, because of type, contain two materials, concrete and steel.

In addition, bronze is used as bearing caps and large amounts of wood are used to construct the falseworks. Finally, the excavation and backfilling of bridge approaches, coffer dams and access roads account for a large movement of dirt.

Below is a table containing quantities of materials and work that went into and t ESTIMATED MATERIALS AND WORK B-3 78 AND Concrete, All Types 740 yds 788 yds Reinforcing Steel lbs lbs Bronze Bearing Caps lbs lbs Excavation and Backfill yds yds Construction of Rail 387 linear ft linear ft From notes in the files we have a construction sequence for the East Verdi River Bridge, The way this bridge was built is representative of The sub-contract with Nevada Rock and Sand, to construct was signed in late September of Contracts for materials were placed in the fall and certifications of steel and bearings caps were obtained in time for construction. The reinforcing steel was purchased from the Columbia Steel Company of San Francisco, California, M.

Greenberg's and Sons supplied the bronze beaiing plates. The Mertensen Construction Company and the Robert W. Hunt Company performed tests on the steel and bearing plates. All of these companies werjs located in the San Francisco Bay area. By December 23, coffer dams had been dug around the east/west footings. The west footing had been poured and pumping of the east footing work area was t under way. The river is reported as low and channeled to a narrow gap between East Verdi Bridge HAER No. Page #4 the work areas. The original structure, for this section of US-40, was still in use as was built on a new alignment. On December 28, the east footing work area was dry and forms were being erected. Work on the west. approach was under way with excavation being carried out with a motor shovel.

in early January the footings For both arches were complete. Two columns for the west approach deck were up arid work was underway on the remaining columns. One month later on February 8, the columns for both approaches were up. The forms for the west approach deck and f loorbeams were 75% complete. At this time work on the falsework for both arches was about 90% complete. In order to build this falsework piles were placed in the river channel, protected by small coffer dams, under the arch location. Wood beams tied each set of piles together and the river was spanned by 38' steel "I" beams. The complex arch falseworks was built on top of the square pilings/beams that spanned the river.

In construction of an arch a specific pouring sequence must be followed in order to obtain maximum strength. The pouring sequence for the arches on B-3 78 and is as follows. The plans state "Cure concrete in any section of arch rib at least three days before pouring adjacent section". First In the sequence is the construction of the footings. When the arch falsework is in place the very top of the arch is poured first, followed by the sections t attaching to the footings. A small "key", at the 10 and 2 position, joins the base and top of each arch after the three day curing time. complete at this point and the columns are the poured and cured. The arch is The outer thirds of the deck/floorbeams are poured before the center section, and the structure is complete except for railing.

Notes from March 20, indicate that 60% of the time allotted for construction of had passed. At this point it was estimated that 64% of the work was done. The arch had been poured and the columns were being erected. The west approach deck was finished, allowing better access to the center of the structure. The east approach deck was being poured. The final sequence of events would have included finishing the approaches, deck over the arch and the railing. A final note in the files indicates that on June 19, bridge was complete and the forms for the railings were being pulled. All that would have been left at this point was backfilling around the structure, construction of the approach road and site cleanup.

PEOPLE AND CONTRACTORS INVOLVED WITH B-3 78 AND The construction of and was part of the ongoing upgrading of bridges and roads in Nevada. The years from to were a time of major bridge building activity for the Nevada Highway Department. In this time 72 structures were completed and numerous miles of highways upgraded. The engineer in charge of the design of the two structures was Mr. George t Egan. In Mr. Egan was in charge of the design of a thru "pony" truss structure in Clark County that was the subject of a HAER Recording by t East Verdi Bridge HAER No, Page #5 this department in At that time the State Highway Engineer was Mr. S. C. Durkee. However in Mr. Robert A. Allen headed the Nevada Highway Department. The Resident Engineer (R.E.) for both bridge construction projects was Mr.

Dan Indermuhl. Mr. Indermuhl was experienced at overseeing the construction of bridges. He first appears in the records in as R.E. on several bridge contracts in Clark County. Among his projects were two structures built over the Virgin River near Mesquite and Bunkerville. These bridges, and are the longest in the state at and respectively. A search of the records indicates that Mr. Indermuhl continued as a R.E. in northern Nevada until After this point he may have left state service for the military. The Isbell Construction Company of Reno, Nevada first won a highway contract on July 23, This project was for grading of road from 2 miles east of Verdi to the California border. They were paid for this work and the project lasted over two years.

A final contract, was awarded to the company in May of for an overlay in downtown Reno. This job paid In the 41 years that Isbell Construction Company appears in the records they performed tens of millions of dollars of highway work. They won of the contracts let between those years. t Like the Isbell Construction Company, Nevada Rock and Sand Co. Inc. , was a major contractor on state highway projects. On June 2, they were awarded a contract of for putting gravel on miles of road near Sparks, Nevada. During the next 17 years Nevada Rock and Sand won 45 contracts, 9% of the total of all contracts let by the department.

This total does not count the two sub-contracts for the construction of B-3 78 and The last contract awarded to the company was in Battle Mountain, Lander County for a airport runway. This August contract was undoubtedly tied to the war effort as no civilian aircraft of the day required this length runway. For the airport project Nevada Rock and Sand was paid Both of the companies involved in the construction of B-3 78 and were among the most successful 1 in early road building in Nevada, Like the Isbell Construction Company, Nevada Rock and Sand is no longer in business. EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE

Construction of and

The most interesting aspect of the construction of the East/West Verdi River Bridges was the labor trouble associated with construction. During the late the country was still in the midst of the "Great Depression." This was also a time of growth in the labor union movement. The organization of unions in the construction industry was often violent and hard won. The climate in the state of Nevada was very hostile to union organization at this time. Even today Nevada is a "right to work" state. t In essence, the labor trouble during the construction of the bridges revolved around union organization of Isbell Construction and Nevada Rock and Sand East Verdi Bridge HAER No. Page. #6 employees.

An article in the Reno Evening Gazette of September 26, and notes from the files allow for a reconstruction of events. The problem involved the establishment of a "company" union, The Highway Workers' Federation by the Isbell Construction Company. The construction company refused to bargain with the American Federation of Labor (AFL) Teamsters union over organization of workers and wages. A specific worker, Mr. Albert Smith, was apparently fired over his union activities.

As a result of these problems, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) sent some 300 men from California to protest Isbell activities in October of At this time the company would have been working on the road between Law tori's Springs and Verdi and work on was just getting underway, The paper states that "the construction company organized a group of armed vigilantes and had them deputized to repel and resist a unit of the CIO which attempted to come into Nevada..." Further along in the same article the paper states "a posse organized by the Washoe County Sheriff in October of formed at Verdi and resisted a threatened "invasion" of some 300 CTO workers who were en route to the scene of the highway construction project..." The threat of a labor action against Isbell Construction must have been common knowledge in early October In the files there is a letter from Mr.

J. L. Hancock, the Division Two Engineer for the highway department, to the t R.E. Mr. Indermuhl. This letter, dated October 8, warns of a "rumored" job action by the CIO and tells Mr. Indermuhl to keep a diary on the situation. He is also cautioned not to discuss the subject or express an opinion about any actions that take place. The threatened "invasion" by the CIO took place on October 8, and they succeeded in shutting down the job site for that day. Mr. Indermuhl kept records of work stoppages during the course of the project.

He states that this day was lost to "labor trouble." As a result of the October problems local members of the AFL Teamsters Union set up a picket line on both ends of the road to On November 17, 18, 19, 21 and 22, the Line forced serious work slow downs at the job site. The records show that union drivers refused to cross the picket line to deliver cement. Because the contract for work with the state carried a penalty for being late, Mr. C. V. Isbell requested an extension of time for completion of the project. He made this request to Mr. Robert A. Allen, State Highway Engineer, on November 29, Mr, Alien denied the request of a time extension on December 8, He reasoned that the delay was a very small part of the total allotted time to complete the contract.

In the end work progressed at a good pace and the entire project was finished within the specified limit. Because of trouble at the job site the Reno Building Trades Council filed an action against Isbell Construction with the National Labor Relations Board, A ruling against Isbell. Construction came in September It held, in a first of its kind ruling, that "road contractors engaged in construction of interstate highways fall within the jurisdiction of the Wagner Act". As a t result Isbell Construction was ordered to "disestablish the Highway Workers* East Verdi Bridge t HAER No.

Page #7 Federation as a collective agency; to reinstate one worker, Albert Smith, with $50 back pay, and to cease "urging, persuading or warning its employees" to refrain from joining the AFL Teamsters' union." The ruling against Isbeli Construction apparently had far reaching implications in labor law as it applied to Federally funded projects. Mr. Allen, State Highway Engineer, wrote the National Labor Relations Board for copies of the ruling in August of He stated that the ruling would be a matter of discussion at the annual convention of the American Association of State Highway Officials in Detroit. The board indicated that as far as it new, in late the Isbeli case was still the only one of its type on record.

It is of interest to note that Nevada contracted to build two of its most beautiful structures in the winter of At the time and took shape a drama of the American labor movement was being played out around the construction site.

Technology and Design

There is no record of the reasons for the particular design of the East/West Verdi River Bridges. A number of bridge types, less aesthetically pleasing, could have been constructed across the Truckee River. From an engineering standpoint concrete "slab" or "tee beam" bridges would have worked just as well t at the location. These types would not have required the construction of the very complex falsework needed to pour the arch. In addition, given that the base of each arch is only at the footings, the arch and columns are in the river channel at high water. On numerous occasions since flood waters have piled up tons of rubble in the footings of each structure.

While no definitive answer can be given for the reason a "thru-arch" design was chosen for the bridges, three points of speculation are plaiisible. At the time of construction B-3 78 and were on US-40, the Victory Highway, and the prime east-west route across America. This road was also the most important highway to run through Nevada in the late 30' s. As the premiere road in Nevada, it is logical that the department would have invested its most significant engineering efforts in bridges along this highway. The evidence indicates that these types of bridges were only built at Verdi. As the Nevada Highway Department was a young institution in the it is possible that the bridges represent "individual" design initiative.

Often one of the most significant characteristics a young organization is innovation in design and technology. This would serve to stretch the capabilities of the bridge engineering division and build technical sophistication. Finally, there is an element of continuity in the design of B-3 78 and The original bridges that were replaced in were built under contract in These bridges are listed in the records as being "arch bridges." A continuity, and improvement, over the original design could have been a t significant factor in the type of structures built as replacements. East Verdi Bridge HAER No. Page #8 It may be that all of the reasons mentioned above played a role in the design of the Verdi River Bridges. The results of the Department's work is unique.

The bridges are of a complex design type that blend perfectly with the mountains, forested valley and Truckee River. The East/West Verdi River Bridges symbolize the increasing engineering sophistication of a smalt highway department in an arid state. Located on Nevada's major 's highway, the East/West Verdi River Bridges were a beautiful statement to travelers, as they entered or left the state for California,

Historical Background

The area in and around Verdi has been important to transportation since the mid Verdi is at the head of a narrowing canyon that branched to a variety of alternate trails into California. The area was first known as "0'Niels Crossing" after a man who built a bridge across the Truckee River in With the arrival of the Central Pacific Railroad, later in that decade, the small village that had sprung up was renamed. The railroad choose to name the town in honor of "Giusseppe Verdi" the Italian opera composer. In November of a Post Office had been established in the town. Because of its location on the and the surrounding forest, a thriving lumber industry developed. On November 4, the #1 train was robbed at Verdi t of its payroll for the Yellow Jacket Mine nn the Cornstock.

All of the bandits were later captured and sent to prison for long stretches. In the with the advent of the motor car, the route from San Francisco through Reno and on to the east became important. By and large this early route followed the rail lines. In Dr. H. Nelson, Mr. Sewe 11 K. Crocker and a bulldog named "Bud" drove a Winton motor car from San Francisco to New York. The trip of over six thousand miles took 64 days and was a major adventure of the day. A likely route would have taken the pair through the Verdi area. In when and were constructed a major realignment of US-40 was undertaken. The files of the Nevada Highway Department are thick with paperwork for the acquisition of new right-of-way.

In short, the original core of the town of Verdi was too tightly clustered along the original route to widen the road. For safety reasons the new road went around the town center to the north. A number of properties were purchased and buildings relocated* The central business district of Verdi today is on the new alignment. In the sixties, with the construction of the interstate, Verdi was bypassed for good* The main route of was moved to the hill south of town. Today the area is a tourist stop in the Sierras and a bedroom community for Reno. The graceful arches of B-3 78 are now best viewed from a mobile home park and a business complex. On either side of expensive homes and a small park are now found.

The old bridges across the Truckee are somewhat in disrepair in I Built in the heat of labor confrontation, they have withstood the yearly Sierra winter and spring floods, fifty years later they still provide an important service to area residents. East Verdi Bridge t HISTORICAL CHANGES HAER No. Page #9 Throughout the life of the Verdi Bridges only normal maintenance has taken place. Today the bridges are essentially the same as when they were built. PLANNED CHANGES The structures are to be widened and strengthened to meet current codes and traffic requirements. The existing arch ribs will remain in place. New arch ribs will be cast as additions to these existing ribs. Footings will be strengthened and enlarged.

The superstructure will be replaced, maintaining a similar appearance to the existing superstructure. Architectural treatment will be used on the parapet facia to resemble existing, but deficient parapet rails. All concrete form work will be mounted on the existing arch ribs to avoid working in the river. t t East Verdi Bridge HAER No. Page #10 t East Verdi Bridge t HAER No. Page #11

Bibliography

Angell, Myron ed. History rjf Nevada Thompson and West. Oakland Reproduction Howe 11-North Books, Berkeley. Anonymous Reno Evening Gazette, September 26, Reno. Carlson, Helan S. Nevada Place Names University of Nevada, Press. Reno. Harmon, Harley A. The Place ofi Highway Transportation. Nevada Bulletin, One Sound State Edition Carson City. Harris, Robert P. I Nevada Postal History Bonanza Press. Santa Cruz, Loforth, Art Resident Engineer's Notes for Bridge & Notes on File, Nevada Department of Transportation, Carson City. I