Historic Donner Bridge Reopened
A weekend ceremony marked the completion of a $1.6-million, two-year project to restore a historic Sierra Nevada bridge.
The Donner Summit Bridge on old U.S. 40 takes its name from the nearby pass used by the group that was snowed-in during an ill-fated crossing of the Sierra in the 1840s.
Nevada County made structural and safety improvements to the bridge but kept the appearance of its original design.
The bridge was viewed as an engineering feat when it was built in 1925-26 at a cost of $40,000.
It was saved from the wrecking ball in 1994 by a flood of letters from residents.
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