Navajo Bridge

Navajo Bridge
Looking east, with 1929 bridge at left, 1995 bridge at right, and the Echo Cliffs in the background,
May 2006
Coordinates36°49′04″N 111°37′54″W / 36.81778°N 111.63167°W / 36.81778; -111.63167
Carries US 89A 2nd only
CrossesColorado River at Marble Canyon
LocaleMarble Canyon, Arizona and Lees Ferry
Official nameUpstream bridge: Historic Navajo Bridge, Structure No. 51 Downstream Bridge: Navajo Bridge, Structure No. 2340
Other name(s)
  • Grand Canyon Bridge
  • Lees Ferry Bridge
  • Hamblin-Hastele Bridge
  • Colorado River Bridge
Named forNavajo people
OwnerArizona Department of Transportation (ADOT)
Maintained byADOT
Heritage statusNational Register of Historic Places 1st only
ID numberAZ00051 1st
AZ02340 2nd
Preceded byGlen Canyon Dam Bridge
Followed byHoover Dam
Characteristics
Designopen-spandrel arch bridge with 90 feet (27 m) rise (both)
MaterialSteel
Total length834 feet (254 m) 1st
909 feet (277 m) 2nd[1]
Width18 feet (5.5 m) 1st
44 feet (13 m) 2nd[1]
Height476 feet (145 m)
Longest span616 feet (188 m) 1st
726 feet (221 m) 2nd[1]
No. of spans1 (each bridge)
Piers in water0
Load limit22.5 short tons (20.4 t) 1st
Clearance below467 feet (142 m) 1st
470 feet (140 m) 2nd[1]
History
Construction startJune 1927 (1st)
May 1993 (2nd)[1]
Construction end1929 (1st)
1995 (2nd)[1]
Construction cost$US 390,000 1st (equivalent to $5.4 million in 2023 dollars)
$US 14.7 million 2nd[1]
OpenedJanuary 12, 1929 (1st)
May 2, 1995 (2nd)[1]
Statistics
Navajo Steel Arch Highway Bridge
The 1929, NRHP listed bridge, October 2018
Nearest cityPage
Coordinates36°49′2″N 111°37′53″W / 36.81722°N 111.63139°W / 36.81722; -111.63139
Built1929
ArchitectArizona Highway Department
MPSVehicular Bridges in Arizona MPS
NRHP reference No.81000134[2]
Added to NRHPAugust 13, 1981
Location
Map

Navajo Bridge is the name of twin steel spandrel arch bridges that cross the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon National Park[Note 1] (near Lees Ferry) in northern Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The newer of the two spans carries vehicular traffic on U.S. Route 89A (US 89A) over Marble Canyon between Bitter Springs and Jacob Lake, allowing travel into a remote Arizona Strip region north of the Colorado River including the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

Prior to completion of the first Navajo Bridge, one of the only Colorado River crossings between Arizona and Utah was located about 5 miles (8.0 km) upstream from the bridge site, at the mouth of Glen Canyon where Lees Ferry service had operated since 1873. The ferry site had been chosen as the only relatively easy access to the river for both northbound and southbound travelers. By the 1920s, automobile traffic began using the ferry, though it was not considered a safe and reliable crossing due to adverse weather and flooding regularly preventing its operation.[1]

The bridge was officially named the Grand Canyon Bridge when it was dedicated on June 14–15, 1929. The state legislature changed the name to Navajo Bridge five years later in 1934. The original bridge was closed to vehicular traffic after the new span opened in 1995. The old span is still open for pedestrian and equestrian use.[1]

The dual spans of Navajo Bridge are tied at ninth place among the highest bridges in the United States with nearly identical heights of 467 feet (142.3 m) for the original span, and 470 feet (143.3 m) for the second span.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Navajo Bridge". nps.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ "The American Presidency Project: Proclamation 3889 – Establishing Marble Canyon National Monument, Arizona". presidency.ucsb.edu. University of California, Santa Barbara. January 20, 1969. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  4. ^ Repanshek, Kurt (January 2, 2010). "Pruning the Parks: Whatever Became of Marble Canyon National Monument (1969–1975)?". nationalparkstraveler.org. Park City, Utah: National Parks Traveler. Retrieved May 22, 2020.


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