The Antioch Bridge (officially the Senator John A. Nejedly Bridge) is an automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian bridge in the western United States. Located in northern California, it crosses the San Joaquin River-Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel, linking Antioch in Contra Costa County with Sherman Island in southern Sacramento County, near Rio Vista. Named after state senator John Nejedly, the bridge is signed as part of State Route 160. Unlike other toll bridges in California, it has only a single lane of traffic for each direction. It is one of several bridges in the Bay area that are traversable by pedestrians and bicyclists in addition to automobiles. The current bridge was completed in 1978, is in length, and opened to traffic that December. History 1926 toll bridge The original structure was completed in 1926 by the American Toll Bridge Company (Aven Hanford and Oscar Klatt), who went on to build the original span of the Carquinez Bridge. The bridge was opened on 1 January 1926 as a connecting link on the coast-to-coast Victory Highway. Hanford and Klatt, officials with the Rodeo-Vallejo Ferry Company, had organized the American Toll Bridge Company in 1923, which built the bridge at a cost of greater than . The Delta Bridge corporation had formed in December 1922, but did not complete a bridge at Antioch. Delta Bridge had received a franchise to build in June 1923. The 1926 bridge featured two spans each long which provided a clearance of below when opened. The original lift span bridge was plagued with problems throughout its lifetime. Heavy traffic could cross it at no more than , and its narrow shipping channel led to collisions with freighters in 1958, 1963, and 1970. State purchase In 1937, Assemblyman Earl D. Desmond urged the California Toll Bridge Authority to acquire the Antioch Bridge. Desmond believed that by purchasing the bridge, tolls could be eliminated, which would spur economic growth. Director Frank W. Clark negotiated with the American Toll Bridge Company, and the state of California acquired ownership of both the Antioch and Carquinez Bridges at a cost of on September 16, 1940. Tolls were reduced immediately and further reduced in 1942. Marine traffic collisions The narrow ship channel afforded by the raised span led to marine traffic colliding with the bridge in 1958 (rammed by Kaimana), 1963 (rammed by Pasadena) and 1970 (rammed by Washington Bear). The 1970 collision spurred efforts to