Navajo Bridge at Marble Canyon
by Carolyn Derstine
Title
Navajo Bridge at Marble Canyon
Artist
Carolyn Derstine
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Navajo Bridge spans Marble Canyon, 470 feet above the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. Construction of the original Navajo Bridge began in 1927, and the bridge opened to traffic in 1929. At the time of its construction, the Navajo Bridge was the highest steel arch bridge in the United States, and for the next 66 years it served as the only crossing of the Colorado River for 600 miles. By 1990, however, officials decided that the traffic flow was too great for the original bridge and that a new solution was needed. It was decided a new bridge would be built just downstream from the existing bridge, with new approaches on each side. The historic bridge would remain and serve as a pedestrian bridge and provide visitors with a breathtaking view of the Colorado River below. An interpretive center was also constructed nearby to showcase the historical nature of the bridge and early crossing of the Colorado River. The original bridge has been designated as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 13, 1981.
Uploaded
February 22nd, 2017
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Viewed 1,008 Times - Last Visitor from Ottawa, ON - Canada on 04/22/2024 at 12:02 PM
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