The Dumbarton Rail Bridge (then known as the Dumbarton Point Bridge or, simply, Dumbarton Bridge; one of the major structures of the Dumbarton Cut-off rail line) was championed by E. H. Harriman. Prior to the completion of the Dumbarton Cut-off, transcontinental rail freight was offloaded at Oakland and ferried to San Francisco. Preliminary work started in 1904 with the condemnation of land at Dumbarton Point, and the incorporation of the Central California Railway Company, created by several Southern Pacific officers for the sole purpose of building a rail line from Newark to San Mateo. There was some opposition to the bridge from local business groups, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers held a public hearing in August 1906 inviting public feedback on the plans for the bridge. Henry Rengstorff argued the bridge would impede water traffic, which was needed as an alternate route in case of a railroad strike or natural disaster, such as the recent earthquake.