The original Antioch Bridge was opened in 1926 by Aven Hanford and Oscar Klatt, the owner-builders of the first Carquinez Bridge. Only 21 feet wide and with only two traffic lanes it did not perform very well. Vehicles of more than five tons had to cross at no more than 15 miles per hour, the lift span needed to be raised for passing ships an average of 95 times each month, and the uncomfortably narrow opening led to ship collisions in 1958, 1963 and 1970, that nearly brought down the bridge on each occasion.
In 1976, work began on a new steel bridge that opened in December 1978. The 1.8 mile-long new bridge spans the San Joaquin River between Sherman Island in Sacramento County and Antioch in Contra Costa County. With a vertical clearance of 135 feet, its superstructure is composed of two steel plate girders spanning the piers below and supporting a lightweight concrete slab above. The girders have a protective coating that greatly reduces the need for maintenance or painting.
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