Bixby Bridge East

by Joe Schofield

Title

Bixby Bridge East

Artist

Joe Schofield

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Nearing dusk as the fog rolls in. A scene not often seen, Bixby Bridge photographed from the east along the old Coast Road.

Located 15 miles south of Carmel-by-the-Sea on California's Highway 1, Bixby Bridge is a famous 1932 concrete arch bridge known for its stunning, scenic views over Big Sur's rocky coast. As one of the highest single-span bridges (260 ft high) in the world, it is a key, historic, and highly photographed landmark of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Built in 1932 during the Great Depression, Bixby Bridge (also known as Bixby Creek Bridge) was an extraordinary engineering achievement, especially given the remote location and limited technology of the time. Constructing a bridge on steep and crumbing cliffs over Bixby Creek posed serious logistical challenges: First, a massive wooden framework had to be built, with materials brought in by truck on what was then a narrow, one-way road riddled with hairpin turns. A staggering 45,000 individual sacks of cement had to be hauled up the frameworkand this was before advanced heavy machinery could help with the lifting. Each bag was transported via a system of platforms and slings suspended by cables 300 feet above the creek.

I had taken this image in 2009 with my first digital camera. It was late afternoon and dusk was not far off. For those familiar with the crowds stopping to photograph the bridge, there were none at that time. There is a gravel road (Coast Road) immediately on the north side of the bridge, and I drove about a mile or so on it in my Prius. Yeah. Not smart. But there you have it.

Uploaded

April 24th, 2026

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