With the opening of the $70 million San Mateo-Hayward Bridge in October 1967, the nation experienced the ushering in of a new era in bridge design.

The concept was made possible by an orthotropic steel deck design, permitting a strikingly uncluttered appearance to its two miles of high-level spans. The superstructure consisting of twin box girders--including the nation’s longest at 750 feet--provides 135 vertical feet of clearance at the navigation channel.

The balance of the important link between San Mateo County and Southern Alameda County is a 5.8- mile low-level concrete trestle. The roadway has six lanes on the high-level portion and the trestle is designed for expansion from its present four lanes into six.

The 1967 structure replaced a two-lane, low-level, lift-span bridge in service since 1929, which was purchased by the State in 1951 for $6 million.

Its slim, graceful lines have won it two major awards. In 1968, the American Society of Civil Engineers honored it as the year’s “Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement” and the American Institute of Steel Construction named it the “Most Beautiful Bridge-Long Span.”

The bridge carries over 81,000 vehicles a day. Toll for a 2-axle vehicle is $3, collected from westbound traffic.