Marked by its signature 100-foot-high steel pylons, the O’Connell Bridge has connected Sitka to Japonski Island since 1972.
The 1,255-foot-long span connecting downtown Sitka and Japonski Island was the only vehicular cable-stayed bridge in the United States at the time of its completion, and in 2006 AAA recognized it as one of “Seven Remarkable Bridges” of the West for its aesthetics and historical significance.
The bridge is named for a Sitka mayor, John O’Connell, who was a strong advocate for its construction. Before the bridge was built, shore boats ferried passengers between Sitka and Japonski, which was referred to as Edgecumbe and was viewed as a separate community.
The bridge has allowed Edgecumbe to thrive. The island is home to Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka and the Cutter Kukui dock, SEARHC Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center and campus, Mt. Edgecumbe High School, and the University of Alaska Southeast, Sitka Campus.
