Dumbarton Bridge, California

The Dumbarton Bridge is the southernmost highway bridge crossing San Francisco Bay, carrying California SR 84 between Menlo Park/Palo Alto (on the west) and Fremont (on the east). (Yes, this is one of the major routes into Silicon Valley!) The present bridge dates from 1982, but has been upgraded over the years. It replaced an original, built in 1929, that had a central lift span. That span was removed as an obstacle to navigation in the late 80s. The inset shows interpretive signs at the western abutment. The painted bird silhouettes are there because the bridge lies in a wildlife refuge--the flats on either side of the Bay here are all protected waterfowl habitat. It's an incongruous juxtaposition with the high-tech metropolis!

The name Dumbarton actually isn't official, but comes from Dumbarton Point on the east side of the bay, which was named after the Scottish original. Unsuspecting tourists will hear a tall tale, though, that there were two brothers Barton, one of whom was called the "dumb" Barton, and it's named for him. I don't know how many people fall for it!