The Coos Bay Bridge is one of eleven major bridges on the Oregon Coast Highway designed under the supervision of Conde B. McCullough. These bridges replaced ferries that had formerly crossed the bay.

The heavy traffic in the shipping channel led to a cantilevered bridge instead of a draw bridge. The cantilever section of the bridge spans 793 feet with a vertical clearance of 145 feet. The towers rise 280 feet above the water with curved sway bracing in a Gothic arch style. The ends of the bridge are marked by pedestrian plazas detailed with Art Moderne motifs.