The '' ' Dumbarton Rail Bridge ' '' ( then known as the '' ' Dumbarton Point Bridge ' '' or , simply , '' ' Dumbarton Bridge ' '' ; one of the major structures of the '' ' Dumbarton Cut-off ' '' rail line ) was championed by E. H. Harriman . Prior to the completion of the Dumbarton Cut-off , transcontinental rail freight was offloaded at Oakland and ferried to San Francisco . Preliminary work started in 1904 with the condemnation of land at Dumbarton Point , and the incorporation of the Central California Railway Company , created by several Southern Pacific officers for the sole purpose of building a rail line from Newark to San Mateo . There was some opposition to the bridge from local business groups , and the United States Army Corps of Engineers held a public hearing in August 1906 inviting public feedback on the plans for the bridge . Henry Rengstorff argued the bridge would impede water traffic , which was needed as an alternate route in case of a railroad strike or natural disaster , such as the recent earthquake
recent earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Dumbarton Rail Bridge