Modesto bids farewell to Seventh Street Bridge with a Model A parade, fittingly
The public got one last chance Wednesday to cross the old Seventh Street Bridge in Modesto, 109 years after it debuted.
The span had closed Monday to make way for its replacement, but it reopened briefly for a groundbreaking ceremony. About 30 of the attendees crossed the bridge in restored Model A’s, dating from 1928 to 1931. Others walked on the roadway or sidewalks.
The new bridge will open in early 2028 at a cost of about $127 million. It will double the motor-vehicle lanes to four and enhance bike and pedestrian access to Tuolumne River Regional Park.
“It’s an icon of Modesto,” Stanislaus County Supervisor Mani Grewal said of the original. “... Today we are reminded of the bridge’s history as we celebrate the groundbreaking of a new bridge and acknowledge the future of a safer and more connected community.”
Why did the old bridge fall short?
The current structure was completed in 1917 in the Beaux Arts style of architecture. It helped pioneer an engineering method with steel cantilevers covered in concrete. That surface crumbled faster than expected, prompting speed and weight limits since the 1930s.
The new bridge will take on some of the semi-truck traffic now using the Ninth Street and Highway 99 bridges. And it will ease the connection with Crows Landing Road, a key corridor in south Modesto.
The north end of the new bridge will have a pedestrian plaza with restored relics of the old span. They include two lion statues, a railing and light posts.
Those touches helped the project win approval several years ago from the Modesto Landmark Preservation Commission. Current chairperson Harrison Power said Wednesday that the displays “will bridge visitors of today with the local engineering achievements of the past.”
He also noted that the engineering technique, known as “canti-crete,” was chosen because it reduced steel consumption amid World War I.
Modesto had about 9,000 residents in 1917. The new automobile bridge ran next to a trestle still used by freight trains. The river level had dropped around that time because of the new canals for the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts.
How fast did restored Model A’s go?
The bridge was about a decade old when Ford made the Model A’s that paraded across it Wednesday. Every driver obeyed the 25 mph speed limit, aimed at reducing vibrations over the past 90 years.
Local and state officials did the ceremonial groundbreaking, using gold-painted shovels to turn dirt piled up for the occasion. Actual construction began last month, next to a city project moving a major sewer line away from the river.
Wednesday’s attendees could take home small chunks of concrete from the once-proud bridge. They came with a “certificate of authenticity” signed by county Public Works Director David Leamon.
“By accepting this artifact,” it said in part, “you hold a tangible piece of history and a symbol of the bridge’s lasting impact.”
The old cars were from the Modesto Area Model A Car Club, one piece of the area’s love of things automotive. Another is the Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum, which is raising money to display another of the four lion statues.
How was the new bridge funded?
The new bridge is being built on an $85.2 million contract with MCM Construction Inc. of North Highlands in Sacramento County. The total cost is about $127 million, including design, right of way and street improvements at both ends of the bridge.
A federal grant provided about $92 million. The state added $15 million. The county’s Measure L sales tax covered most of the rest.
Drivers have two detour options during the construction. One is on Ninth Street between Pecos Avenue and G Street. The other is on Highway 99 from the Crows Landing Road interchange to G. More details on the project are at 7thstreetbridge.org.
This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 5:13 PM.
