This bridge, now in its third incarnation, is one of the oldest operating drawbridges in California. It was a toll bridge that accommodated horses, wagons and individuals. It was rebuilt in 1870 to handle both wagons and railroad trains on the same deck. In 1895 a new double-deck bridge was built at this site. Trains used the upper deck, and wagons the lower deck.
Trains travel on the lower deck over two sets of tracks.
Automobiles travel in two directions on the two-lane upper deck of the bridge. Many of the early bridges of the Delta were railroad bridges, and none of them were popular with the steamboat men. Altercations between steamboats and the drawbridges were commonplace, especially on the Sacramento-Yolo Bridge. The Horseless Carriage W hen Americans began taking the automobile to their bosom, the need for more and better roads became evident. Construction of roads in the Delta was never easy, for the peat soil of the islands was fragile and would compact when heavily loaded.