The San Diego-Coronado Bridge follows a curved route across San Diego Bay between Coronado and San Diego in order to achieve a water clearance of 200 feet (or 61 meters) at its highest point with just a gradual incline of the bridge.
The water clearance was designed so that aircraft carriers from the nearby Naval Base San Diego could pass under the bridge.
The total bridge length, including approaches, is 2.1 miles (or 3.4 kilometers). A shorter, straight bridge taking the most direct route across the bay would require a much steeper grade to achieve the same water clearance.
