Touring - Worst legal water crossings in the States

These are mine:

HC Catagory

Hwy 190 Louisiana, Causeway between Krontz springs and Lottie
I-90, bridge over the Columbia river Washington

Cat 1

Hwy 158, to the Outer Banks (It could have been the wind and drizzle)
Hwy 101, WA to OR bridge


Honorable Mention:

Deception Pass Hwy 20 Washington, (My new technique on this one is, wait for a gap, jump in the middle and ride fast

Highway 16 bridge over the St. Johns River just west of St. Augustine. 2 miles, 2 lanes, 1 foot shoulder, very busy.

Northern bridge over the Mississippi at Natchez. Two lanes heading east, no shoulder, extremely busy. Impossible. You have to cross on the southern bridge on a shoulder against traffic.

These are mine:

HC Catagory

Hwy 190 Louisiana, Causeway between Krontz springs and Lottie
I-90, bridge over the Columbia river Washington

Cat 1

Hwy 158, to the Outer Banks (It could have been the wind and drizzle)
Hwy 101, WA to OR bridge


Honorable Mention:

Deception Pass Hwy 20 Washington, (My new technique on this one is, wait for a gap, jump in the middle and ride fast

Ride it weekly.... this is the only method I use and also the safest.

We had a police escort on this one in Texas.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh187/10wheels/502%20Mi%20Tour/CauseswayLavacaBay.jpg

We had a police escort on this one in Texas.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh187/10wheels/502%20Mi%20Tour/CauseswayLavacaBay.jpg

guy/gal in the back is sure short...:innocent:

guy/gal in the back is sure short...:innocent:


I had to look at it about three times. I thought maybe someone fell off. 1 It looked like a riderless bike to me. :)

I agree with the bridge over the Columbia river from Oregon to Washington! It's HORRIBLE going north as the trucks block the wind momentarily and throw you all over the road. It's not so bad going south.

Conowingo Dam, the ONLY legal bike crossing of the Susquehanna in MD http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Baltimore,+Maryland&ll=39.666301,-76.170444&spn=0,359.922838&z=14&layer=c&cbll=39.666024,-76.17059&panoid=euZ8vjDk_tiQzoSZzPtAcA&cbp=12,195.32,,0,10.61

Mount Hope Bridge in Rhode Island

This thread was a really good idea!

It would be helpful to post alternatives where possible. In the case of the Conowingo Dam, for example: there's a bridge at Holtwood, PA, a dozen miles upstream.

This thread was a really good idea!

It would be helpful to post alternatives where possible. In the case of the Conowingo Dam, for example: there's a bridge at Holtwood, PA, a dozen miles upstream.

Conowingo Dam is already a 20 mile detour from US 40. If you are heading more north/south the Holtwood, PA crossing is a good option otherwise the only other option is to get transported across the Hatem bridge (US 40) by Biller's Bikes (http://www.billersbikes.com/)

Conowingo Dam, the ONLY legal bike crossing of the Susquehanna in MD http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Baltimore,+Maryland&ll=39.666301,-76.170444&spn=0,359.922838&z=14&layer=c&cbll=39.666024,-76.17059&panoid=euZ8vjDk_tiQzoSZzPtAcA&cbp=12,195.32,,0,10.61

I remember going over this bridge last summer. The approach from the North down to the dam was full of potholes, gravel filled shoulders, and then there was construction as well. After we had made it across and up the ridge on the otherside we just had to stop, relax, and get our wits together before continuing on.

I've done both the Deception Pass bridge and the one over the Columbia going into Astoria. On the Decpeption Pass bridge there's these cable things that block you from using the sidewalk with panniers (maybe you could fit without them?) and make the roadway more narrow. If you're on that bridge the cars simply have to follow you - no passing. When I went across it there was road construction by the park so there was a flag person. I waited until after the surge of cars when through and then there was no one.

The bridge into Astoria I did many years ago. I remember thinking there was only about a 6-inch margin between me and the big trucks. I hoped I could keep a straight line (them too), especially when climbing at the end. Harrowing.

I found another one in Washington a couple of years ago on the Northern Tier. Going across the Columbia (I think it's called Roosevelt Lake there because it's behind a dam) into the Colville area there's a bridge. They put a big sign on the guardrail that blocks the entrance to the sidewalk. It's easy for a pedestrian to get through, but a bike with panniers is blocked. The choice was either to take off all my panniers, go through the blockage, repack my bike and continue; or ride on the narrow roadway with no room for all the logging trucks (there were a lot) to pass. I chose the latter. I rode like crazy and made it across. No fun.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/pics/docs/00/00/38/61/small/Roosevelt_Lake_Bridge?v=66

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/pics/docs/00/00/38/61/small/Bridge_Impediment_With_Me?v=5x

Cairo, IL at the confluence of the Mississippi and the Ohio Rivers, crossing over the Ohio into Kentucky. Not advised if possible.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3361/3185268885_4c9947bcfc.jpg

Ferries vs Bridges - -

In the 25 years I have been cycling, ferries continue to disappear.
For touring cyclists, they are much better ways to cross major rivers other water bodies.
Since newer bridges are so horrendously expensive -
Often there is only one bridge for miles.
So, traffic leading up to the bridge is ferocious -
Even if the newer bridge has shoulders.

One classic example is I-155 across the Mississipppi River between Tennessee and Missouri.
Built in 1976, the Caruthersville bridge has a wide shoulder, but bicycles are prohibited.
Prior to the construction of the bridges there were ferries at Caruthersville and Heloise.
Up until the 1960s there were three or four other West Tennessee ferries across the Mississippi.

Now the only possible crossing for cyclists between Cairo and Memphis -
Is the Dorena Hickman Ferry - which is quite nice - highly recommended.
(Of course, it remains dependent upon state funding assistance.)
But it doesn't run on Mondays or Tuesdays - be forewarned.
http://www.dorena-hickmanferryboat.com/

If you have ever tried to cycle across the bridges at Cairo - you know they are long death traps.

The Mississippi River bridge is a mile long and only 20 feet wide.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j270/JohnnyGunn/US60MissRBridgeCairo-1.jpg

The Ohio River bridge is 1.1 miles long and also only 20 feet wide.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j270/JohnnyGunn/US60OhioBridgeCairo.jpg

On the Memphis end - there are two bridges.
The newer I-40 bridge (1972) has three lanes on each side and no shoulder - no possibility.
Memorial Bridge I-55 (1949) has a pedestrian walkway - but access on either side is questionable.
No one in Arkansas or Tennessee DOT knows for sure whether it is legal -
Plus there is a long stretch on the Arkansas side on I-55 before you get to West Memphis.
Both DOTs said that it was illegal to ride a bike on the interstate - as if there were any other choices??

Funny that I was posting a long thread about Cairo right at the same time you were.
The Cairo bridges are really, really dangerous.

Automobiles, Bridges, and Cyclists

Well, a nice woman at Memphis Economic Development who has been involved in expansion of a railroad bridge for bicycle access confirmed that it is illegal to bike on either Memphis Mississippi River bridge. Nor is there any ferry service. So you have to catch a ride or hire a taxi to get across the river at Memphis.

Here's the sad thing - 100 years ago, it was easier to get across the Mississippi than it is today.
Hail to the almighty automobile!!

Funny that I was posting a long thread about Cairo right at the same time you were.
The Cairo bridges are really, really dangerous.

Yea, great (fearful) minds think alike :)

Imagine biking this bridge!!
The Blue Hummer -
US 45 between Paducah, Kentucky and Metropolis, Illinois.
A mile long, less than 20 feet wide, metal grate surface, and heavy traffic.
Not to mention a long narrow approach on the Kentucky side.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_thhcuwEyY

Mount Hope Bridge in Rhode Island

That one is icky. I took the bus over the two non legal bridges from Newport and the frickin rack destroyed my front rim. I found a bike shop just south of there and replaced the rim. Phew.

http://nbxbikes.com/

Jam, LMAO, an old friend lived in Brookport and drove that every day as he worked in Paducah. Most of the time if you sit at the edge of the road with a small sign that says something like " Beer for a ride across the bridge" You won't have to wait long for a good ole boy with a pick up to allow you to throw your bike in the back. Seriously

Sounds like the Deception Pass Hwy. has a lot more traffic than it did when I rode it in '99 and '00.

The bidge going towards Colville, WA is scary.

Here's one for you with a twist: The Brooklyn Bridge during a major holiday weekend like Labor Day. No cars, but hoardes of people. The bike/ped way is above the car deck. Going towards Brooklyn, the left side is a bi-directional bike lane that is really only wide enough for one way traffic. The right side is for pedestrians. Both are marked, but the tourists--often large groups of oblivious, texting teens--frequently don't follow the rules. So not only do you have to worry about cyclists heading towards you, you have to be on constant look out for people stepping into the narrow bike lane without even a glance. I have bounced off people more than once.

At the same time, it's one fo the coolest crossings. Because the bike lane is elevated and in the center of the bridge, you get a good view of the architecture and engineering, and their are some nice views of lower Manhattan.

143517143516
Not 100% certain how legal, but I crossed this railroad bridge across the Atchafaleya when crossing the US. When I got 30ft past a small guardhouse on the bridge, someone came out and told me a train was coming. I went back to the guardhouse and waited out the train before proceeding.

I'd originally gotten to this bridge since it looked like a shortcut on the AC maps - and had a ferry crossing listed. However, the ferry was only running during commuting hours and I showed up at 10am. So rather than wait until 4pm or so, I decided to try crossing nearby railroad bridge.

Imagine biking this bridge!!
The Blue Hummer -
US 45 between Paducah, Kentucky and Metropolis, Illinois.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_thhcuwEyY

Now that is scary.

What would be interesting is are there any safe bridges to cross the Mississippi River on a bicycle south of St. Louis?



Hwy 190 Louisiana, Causeway between Krontz springs and Lottie

I didn't have any problems crossing that bridge. But I was also real lucky, they had the right lane shut down due to maintenance and I had a pleasant ride across it.

it sounds like the old highway bridges over the big rivers of the East are where the troubles lie. I've ridden a lot of the 'tough' bridges in the Northwest and I feel once you are blocking traffic it doesn't get much worse and is certainly safer than riding the lane edge on a bridgedeck. What is tough is when there's an impatient, meth addled trucker on your tail that wants to get around.

GO HI VIZ. TAKE THE LANE. THE BRIDGE EVENTUALLY ENDS.

I'll add a small one - the bridge over the Choptank at Cambridge, MD. And it's on a state bike route!

I'd originally gotten to this bridge since it looked like a shortcut on the AC maps - and had a ferry crossing listed. However, the ferry was only running during commuting hours and I showed up at 10am. So rather than wait until 4pm or so, I decided to try crossing nearby railroad bridge.

I ran into the same issue. The ACA preferred route was closed due to a Hurricane busting up the ferry landing, I ended up on 190.








I didn't have any problems crossing that bridge. But I was also real lucky, they had the right lane shut down due to maintenance and I had a pleasant ride across it.

Same thing happened to me on my second I-90 at Vantage crossing. I had planned on bumming a ride but huzzah for road construction.

143517143516
Not 100% certain how legal, but I crossed this railroad bridge...

Normally 0% illegal, but since the bridge tender (it appears to be a drawbridge) allowed it you were an invitee. Working in the rail industry, I feel compelled to warn people not to do what you did. A month or so ago in FL a couple of teens were hit by a train and killed while crossing a bridge. One was fast enough to make it and watched as his slower companions were struck.

Rio Grande !!!!

It wasn't so much the bridge as it was the 5-mile approach:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lewscanon/2762021130/

(Don't worry, this bridge is so out-of-the-way that you'll never find it.)

Hi All,

I just wanted to insert two pictures of the Astoria bridge between WA and OR. IT was exciting!

http://users.techline.com/tomn/CIMG6961.JPG

http://users.techline.com/tomn/CIMG6963.JPG

Tom