Gianella Bridge

The Gianella Bridge was a swing bridge that brought CA 32 across the Sacramento River at Hamilton City, California, between Glenn County and Butte County. It was built in 1937 by Cotton Brothers & Co., Contractors. Also known as Sacramento River Bridge at Hamilton City, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The bridge was documented by the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) in 1984. It was demolished in 1987 but remains NRHP-listed.While a bridge was desired by both counties, there was disagreement about the location. Glenn County favored the Hamilton City location to support Hamilton, in Glenn County, and the sugar beet industry; Butte County favored a location closer to Chico, in Butte County. The deadlock was broken by influence of Swiss-born Vincenzo Gianella, a Butte County large landowner and sugar beet farmer.It was replaced by a concrete highway bridge and was removed in 1987.Nonetheless, the swing bridge remains listed on the NRHP as of 2013.