Bridge Knowledge Overflowage
As one plaque reads:
1927 1928
State of Arizona
Navajo Bridge
Arch - 616 Feet
Total Length - 834 feet
Height - 467 feet
Arizona State Highway Commission
...Cannot make out the smaller type in the middle...
Kansas City Structural Steel Co.
As a nearby sign reads:
Navajo bridge
Bridging the Past and the Future
Dedicated September 14, 1995
When the historic Navajo Bridge was built in 1928 it was never intended to carry the larger, heavier vehicles of today. A second bridge - wider and stronger than the first - was needed. The challenge for the Arizona Department of Transportation was to build a bridge for modern transportation needs that was sensitive to the environment and compatible with the historic bridge. The second bridge continues the tradition of the first - to maintain an important transportation corridor to some of the world's most spectacular natural wonders.
Techniques used during the construction of the second bridge mitigated environmental damage. To protect the visual character of the project site, excavated rock was removed in small, manageable pieces, and a steel cable net caught debris that otherwise might fall into the river.
Ironworkers, 470 feet (143m) above the Colorado River, install the center pin that connects the two halves of the steel arch main span. The pin was set on October 14, 1994, seven months after steel erection had begun.
Techniques used to construct the historic Navajo Bridge in 1928 were used 67 years later to construct the second bridge.
The steel arch was erected in two cantilevered sections, each extending 363 feet (111m) from the canyon walls.
A movable crane lifted and placed the steel members so that ironworkers could bolt them into place.
Tale of the Tape
Total Length - 909 ft (277m)
Steel Arch Length - 726 ft (221m)
Arch rise - 90 ft (27.4m)
Height above river - 470 ft (143m)
Width of roadway - 44 ft (13.4m)
Amount of steel - 13.9 million lbs (1,762,000kgs)
Amount of concrete - 1,790 cu. yds. (1,370 m2)
Amount of steel reinforcement - 434,000 lbs (197,000kgs)
Construction cost - $14.7 million
"We respect the historic Navajo Bridge because its design and construction triumphed over difficult site and technical problems. The major challenges for the second bridge were environmental concerns and coordination with government agencies that didn't exist when the first bridge was built."
Jerry A. Cannon, Bridge Engineer, 1995
Another nearby sign reads:
Natural Barriers to Exploration and Transportation
Native People
For centuries, the Colorado River and its deep canyons have been formidable natural barriers to travel, but for hundreds of miles, the preferred crossing of the river has always been here near Marble Canyon. Archeological evidence and oral tradition indicate that native people frequently forded the Colorado River in this vicinity when natural river flows were low enough to make crossing possible.
Explorers
In 1776, two Franciscan priests, Fray Francisco Atanasio Domingo and fry Silvestre Velez de Escalante, led an expedition across this area in search of an overland route to California. Because they anticipated being followed by soldiers, priests and settlers, the Dominguez-Escalante expedition provided the first written record of this region.
Almost 100 years later, in 1869, the Colorado River gained fame from the writings of Major John Wesley Powell, who conducted by boat the first scientific exploration of the Colorado River. Powell led a second expedition in 1871-72. His purpose was to determine if the river was navigable, map the river's canyons, and record geological formations.
Settlers
A ferry crossing of the Colorado River began operating at the mouth of the Paria River in 1871. The crossing is widely known as Lees Ferry, after its first operator, John Doyle Lee. During the 19th century, thousands of pioneers crossed the Colorado at Lees Ferry. The wagon roue became known as the "Honeymoon Trail" because recently married Mormons from new settlements in Arizona traveled this route to St. George, Utah, to have their marriages sanctioned in the Mormon Temple.
and Modern Travelers...
In 1929, the historic Navajo Bridge replaced the Lees Ferry river crossing. The bridge was so significant to this remote and rugged region that more than 5,000 people attended the dedication ceremony. Since then, travelers enroute to and through some of this country's most magnificent landscapes, have crossed the Colorado River in relative comfort and convenience by automobile.
"Nowhere in North America, and in very few localities in the world, are there any such barriers to road building as the Grand Canyon of the Colorado."
W.C. Lefebvre, State Engineer, 1926
And the last nearby sign reads:
Historic Navajo Bridge
Dedicated June 14-15, 1929
"The closing of the two great halves of the arch bridging the Colorado River has marked a milestone in the history of highway construction in Arizona."
Ralph A. Hoffman, State Bridge Engineer, 1926
The Vital Link
When the historic Navajo Bridge opened on January 12, 1929, Flagstaff's newspaper, the Coconino Sun, called it "the biggest news in southwest history." It was the only bridge across the Colorado River for some 600 miles (965km) and was a vital link in the first direct highway route between Arizona and Utah.
By easing access to this remote and rugged region, the bridge played a valuable and lasting role in transportation, commerce, and tourism in northern Arizona and southern Utah.
A 500 Pound Shot!
When the historic Navajo Bridge was constructed in 1928, blasting the canyon walls was permitted.
Ribbons of Steel
The historic Navajo Bridge was constructed as two cantilevered arch halves, each extending 308 ft (94m) over the gorge.
The Flagstaff side of the arch was erected first and took two months to complete. The Fredonia side of the arch was finished two and a half months later. The arch was closed on September 12, 1928.
Tale of the Tape
At the time of its construction, the historic Navajo Bridge was the highest steel arch bridge in the world.
Total length - 834 ft (254m)
Steel arch length - 616 ft (188m)
Arch rise - 90 ft (27.4m)
Height above river - 467 ft (142m)
Width of roadway - 18 ft (5.5m)
Amount of steel - 2.4 million lbs (1,089,000kgs)
Amount of concrete - 500 cu yds (385m2)
Amount of reinforcement - 82,000 lbs (37,000kgs)
Construction cost - $390 thousand
Bridge Knowledge Overflowage
As one plaque reads:
1927 1928
State of Arizona
Navajo Bridge
Arch - 616 Feet
Total Length - 834 feet
Height - 467 feet
Arizona State Highway Commission
...Cannot make out the smaller type in the middle...
Kansas City Structural Steel Co.
As a nearby sign reads:
Navajo bridge
Bridging the Past and the Future
Dedicated September 14, 1995
When the historic Navajo Bridge was built in 1928 it was never intended to carry the larger, heavier vehicles of today. A second bridge - wider and stronger than the first - was needed. The challenge for the Arizona Department of Transportation was to build a bridge for modern transportation needs that was sensitive to the environment and compatible with the historic bridge. The second bridge continues the tradition of the first - to maintain an important transportation corridor to some of the world's most spectacular natural wonders.
Techniques used during the construction of the second bridge mitigated environmental damage. To protect the visual character of the project site, excavated rock was removed in small, manageable pieces, and a steel cable net caught debris that otherwise might fall into the river.
Ironworkers, 470 feet (143m) above the Colorado River, install the center pin that connects the two halves of the steel arch main span. The pin was set on October 14, 1994, seven months after steel erection had begun.
Techniques used to construct the historic Navajo Bridge in 1928 were used 67 years later to construct the second bridge.
The steel arch was erected in two cantilevered sections, each extending 363 feet (111m) from the canyon walls.
A movable crane lifted and placed the steel members so that ironworkers could bolt them into place.
Tale of the Tape
Total Length - 909 ft (277m)
Steel Arch Length - 726 ft (221m)
Arch rise - 90 ft (27.4m)
Height above river - 470 ft (143m)
Width of roadway - 44 ft (13.4m)
Amount of steel - 13.9 million lbs (1,762,000kgs)
Amount of concrete - 1,790 cu. yds. (1,370 m2)
Amount of steel reinforcement - 434,000 lbs (197,000kgs)
Construction cost - $14.7 million
"We respect the historic Navajo Bridge because its design and construction triumphed over difficult site and technical problems. The major challenges for the second bridge were environmental concerns and coordination with government agencies that didn't exist when the first bridge was built."
Jerry A. Cannon, Bridge Engineer, 1995
Another nearby sign reads:
Natural Barriers to Exploration and Transportation
Native People
For centuries, the Colorado River and its deep canyons have been formidable natural barriers to travel, but for hundreds of miles, the preferred crossing of the river has always been here near Marble Canyon. Archeological evidence and oral tradition indicate that native people frequently forded the Colorado River in this vicinity when natural river flows were low enough to make crossing possible.
Explorers
In 1776, two Franciscan priests, Fray Francisco Atanasio Domingo and fry Silvestre Velez de Escalante, led an expedition across this area in search of an overland route to California. Because they anticipated being followed by soldiers, priests and settlers, the Dominguez-Escalante expedition provided the first written record of this region.
Almost 100 years later, in 1869, the Colorado River gained fame from the writings of Major John Wesley Powell, who conducted by boat the first scientific exploration of the Colorado River. Powell led a second expedition in 1871-72. His purpose was to determine if the river was navigable, map the river's canyons, and record geological formations.
Settlers
A ferry crossing of the Colorado River began operating at the mouth of the Paria River in 1871. The crossing is widely known as Lees Ferry, after its first operator, John Doyle Lee. During the 19th century, thousands of pioneers crossed the Colorado at Lees Ferry. The wagon roue became known as the "Honeymoon Trail" because recently married Mormons from new settlements in Arizona traveled this route to St. George, Utah, to have their marriages sanctioned in the Mormon Temple.
and Modern Travelers...
In 1929, the historic Navajo Bridge replaced the Lees Ferry river crossing. The bridge was so significant to this remote and rugged region that more than 5,000 people attended the dedication ceremony. Since then, travelers enroute to and through some of this country's most magnificent landscapes, have crossed the Colorado River in relative comfort and convenience by automobile.
"Nowhere in North America, and in very few localities in the world, are there any such barriers to road building as the Grand Canyon of the Colorado."
W.C. Lefebvre, State Engineer, 1926
And the last nearby sign reads:
Historic Navajo Bridge
Dedicated June 14-15, 1929
"The closing of the two great halves of the arch bridging the Colorado River has marked a milestone in the history of highway construction in Arizona."
Ralph A. Hoffman, State Bridge Engineer, 1926
The Vital Link
When the historic Navajo Bridge opened on January 12, 1929, Flagstaff's newspaper, the Coconino Sun, called it "the biggest news in southwest history." It was the only bridge across the Colorado River for some 600 miles (965km) and was a vital link in the first direct highway route between Arizona and Utah.
By easing access to this remote and rugged region, the bridge played a valuable and lasting role in transportation, commerce, and tourism in northern Arizona and southern Utah.
A 500 Pound Shot!
When the historic Navajo Bridge was constructed in 1928, blasting the canyon walls was permitted.
Ribbons of Steel
The historic Navajo Bridge was constructed as two cantilevered arch halves, each extending 308 ft (94m) over the gorge.
The Flagstaff side of the arch was erected first and took two months to complete. The Fredonia side of the arch was finished two and a half months later. The arch was closed on September 12, 1928.
Tale of the Tape
At the time of its construction, the historic Navajo Bridge was the highest steel arch bridge in the world.
Total length - 834 ft (254m)
Steel arch length - 616 ft (188m)
Arch rise - 90 ft (27.4m)
Height above river - 467 ft (142m)
Width of roadway - 18 ft (5.5m)
Amount of steel - 2.4 million lbs (1,089,000kgs)
Amount of concrete - 500 cu yds (385m2)
Amount of reinforcement - 82,000 lbs (37,000kgs)
Construction cost - $390 thousand