Archie Stevenot Bridge

Archie Stevenot Bridge
Route 49 Stanislaus River Bridge
Melones, California, United States
450 feet high / 137 meters high
550 foot span / 168 meter span
1976

One of the highest reservoir bridges in the United States, Archie Stevenot bridge carries route 49 across the Stanislaus River and the New Melones reservoir in the Gold Country area of Northern California. Rising approximately 400 feet (122 mtrs) from foundation to cap, the central pier is tied with California’s Auburn-Foresthill as the tallest ever built in the United States. Located several miles upstream is the 355 foot (108 mtr) high Parrotts Ferry bridge. Like Archie Stevenot, the Parrotts Ferry bridge is underwater most of the time. Both bridges were completely out of the water in 1992 from a severe drought. I know of no reservoir in North American history that ever dropped more than 367 feet (112 mtrs) as the New Melones Lake did during October of that year. You can check on current levels at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/reservoir.html.