Navajo Bridge | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Looking east, with 1929 bridge at left, 1995 bridge at right, and the Echo Cliffs in the background, May 2006 | |
| Coordinates | 36°49′04″N 111°37′54″W / 36.81778°N 111.63167°W |
| Carries |  US 89A 2nd only |
| Crosses | Colorado River at Marble Canyon |
| Locale | Marble Canyon, Arizona and Lees Ferry |
| Official name | Upstream bridge: Historic Navajo Bridge, Structure No. 51 Downstream Bridge: Navajo Bridge, Structure No. 2340 |
| Other name(s) |
|
| Named for | Navajo people |
| Owner | Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) |
| Maintained by | ADOT |
| Heritage status | National Register of Historic Places 1st only |
| ID number | AZ00051 1st AZ02340 2nd |
| Preceded by | Glen Canyon Dam Bridge |
| Followed by | Hoover Dam |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | open-spandrel arch bridge with 90 feet (27 m) rise (both) |
| Material | Steel |
| Total length | 834 feet (254 m) 1st 909 feet (277 m) 2nd[1] |
| Width | 18 feet (5.5 m) 1st 44 feet (13 m) 2nd[1] |
| Height | 476 feet (145 m) |
| Longest span | 616 feet (188 m) 1st 726 feet (221 m) 2nd[1] |
| No. of spans | 1 (each bridge) |
| Piers in water | 0 |
| Load limit | 22.5 short tons (20.4 t) 1st |
| Clearance below | 467 feet (142 m) 1st 470 feet (140 m) 2nd[1] |
| History | |
| Construction start | June 1927 (1st) May 1993 (2nd)[1] |
| Construction end | 1929 (1st) 1995 (2nd)[1] |
| Construction cost | $US 390,000 1st (equivalent to $5.4 million in 2023 dollars) $US 14.7 million 2nd[1] |
| Opened | January 12, 1929 (1st) May 2, 1995 (2nd)[1] |
| Statistics | |
Navajo Steel Arch Highway Bridge | |
 The 1929, NRHP listed bridge, October 2018 | |
| Nearest city | Page |
| Coordinates | 36°49′2″N 111°37′53″W / 36.81722°N 111.63139°W |
| Built | 1929 |
| Architect | Arizona Highway Department |
| MPS | Vehicular Bridges in Arizona MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 81000134[2] |
| Added to NRHP | August 13, 1981 |
| Location | |
 | |
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]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Navajo Bridge". nps.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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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