Pinal Creek Bridge: Small part of big US 60 history

The Pinal Creek Bridge, just off U.S. 60 in Globe, doesn’t look like much. Yet, appearances are deceiving: This simple structure was once part of an important Arizona highway.

Between 1920 and 1922, the Arizona Highway Department, ADOT's predecessor, built three bridges on the highway that linked the Phoenix area with the east: over Queen Creek in Superior; over Devils Canyon; and over Pinal Creek in Globe. As stated in the bridge’s historic inventory document, all three had a similar design: reinforced concrete abutments (structures supporting the ends of the bridges) and piers, as well as steel pipe guardrails.

When U.S. 60 was re-routed to its current configuration decades later, the bridges at Devils Canyon and Queen Creek were abandoned and the highway no longer traveled over the Pinal Creek Bridge. However, the Pinal Creek Bridge still carries traffic on Cottonwood Street in Globe. In December 2023, the city of Globe and ADOT began a bridge-replacement project because it had reached the end of its useful life. ADOT administered the design and construction because federal aid funds were used. The replacement was completed in September 2024.