Bridges

Old US 60 bridge shows original way to cross Queen Creek

Old US 60 bridge shows original way to cross Queen Creek

Old US 60 bridge shows original way to cross Queen Creek

Old US 60 bridge shows original way to cross Queen Creek

By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications
November 13, 2020

It's a question as old as transportation itself: How are we going to get across that?

Whether it be a river, creek, wash, arroyo, canyon or crevice, getting a vehicle from one side to the other is a prime concern when it comes to building roads. Today we have a plethora of options, machinery and materials at our disposal to build a crossing that will both be functional and stand the test of time. As we told you in an earlier blog, we can even build bridges seemingly in mid-air using some fancy engineering. 

That's why it's good to sometimes go back and look how they did it in the old days, when getting to the other side was just as important, but engineers didn't have access to the same resources.

Which brings us to the old US 60 bridge over Queen Creek, just east of Superior. In a blog post last year we explained the original road between Superior and Miami opened in 1922 and was a 21-mile winding mountain road that took motorists down to and over Queen Creek, Devils Canyon and Pinto Creek. This original road and the associated bridges were done under the auspices of Lamar Cobb, Arizona's first state engineer who also planned the state's initial highway system.

It was one of the most difficult road building tasks the young state had done up to that time and the subsequent road has been described as a "winding ladder." You can still see the old road in several spots on your way toward Top-of-the-World.

The original bridge over Queek Creek on the east side of Superior is what you see at the bottom of the photo to the right. It's at the floor of the same canyon where the modern Queen Creek bridge is now, which you can see in the background. Like the original bridges over Devil's Canyon and Pinto Creek, this old bridge is a site-specific, single-span reinforced concrete arch, with steel pipeway guardrails and paneled concrete bulkheads. Which is to say it definitely has none of the modern frills or architectural flourishes you see in some bridges today.

But it did the job it was designed to do. The bridge served motorists for nearly 30 years before a post-World War II population boom called for new, wider road alignments on major highways. In order to accomodate a wider road, US 60 had to be moved to a higher elevation. And that meant new bridges. Eventually the new graceful steel arch bridge over Pinto Creek (which ADOT is currently replacing) opened in 1950 with the new Queen Creek bridge opening in 1953.

So, if you are driving on US 60 heading east from Superior, go ahead and steal a glance of the original bridge, and maybe think about how lucky you are to be crossing its wider, flashier younger brother. 

Strength in numbers: Steel girders placed for I-17 bridge project

Strength in numbers: Steel girders placed for I-17 bridge project

Strength in numbers: Steel girders placed for I-17 bridge project

Strength in numbers: Steel girders placed for I-17 bridge project

By Doug Nintzel / ADOT Communications
November 12, 2020

I-17 and Central Avenue Girder Placement 103120

It is an operation that requires planning, steady hands and a focus on safety. Oh, and let’s throw in another word: measuring. We’re talking about the recent placement of more than 20 steel girders at Interstate 17 and Central Avenue in Phoenix, where the first half of ADOT’s reconstruction of the old freeway bridge continues to advance.

As you can see in our accompanying group of ADOT photos, these are large and heavy girders. Project crews worked earlier in November to lift them into place with cranes, followed by the important work to safely secure them with bracing.

To be a bit more descriptive, these are Continuous Welded Steel Plate Girders. Each of them is 80 to 88 feet long and each tops the scales at between 12 and 15 tons.

For this part of the I-17 bridge project at Central Avenue south of downtown, three girder sections were placed end-to-end in seven rows, also known as girder lines. They will provide the support for what will be the southbound lanes of the freeway when all is said and done in 2021.

These girders are now secured with steel plates that are installed every 16 feet between the side-by-side girder lines. And before you bolt from reading this, give some thought to how many bolts are used in this whole process. Don’t go “nuts” when you learn the answer is more than 6,500 bolts for the entire new structure. It’s all about strength, security and safety.

The focus of this $13.5 million project so far has been on rebuilding the southbound side of the bridge over Central Avenue. The original I-17 bridge was opened to traffic in 1962. Working in phases, crews earlier this year demolished the old southbound structure to make room for the area where these new girders are now located. Freeway traffic is currently shifted and thus temporarily sharing the existing northbound side of the bridge.

ADOT’s project team plans to complete the modernized southbound side of the bridge early next year. That’s when all I-17 traffic in the area will be shifted to the new structure so that reconstruction of the northbound side can move ahead. 

That second major phase in 2021 will include placing an additional 27 of these big girders to provide a wider bridge that will be able to accommodate more lanes along I-17 when future funding is available. So there’s still lots of heavy lifting ahead at I-17 and Central Avenue. 

ADOT begins work to replace Rio de Flag bridge in Flagstaff

ADOT begins work to replace Rio de Flag bridge in Flagstaff

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT begins work to replace Rio de Flag bridge in Flagstaff

ADOT begins work to replace Rio de Flag bridge in Flagstaff

November 6, 2020

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin work to replace the Rio de Flag bridge along Historic Route 66 near Flagstaff City Hall. The work will involve the use of precast bridge components to significantly reduce the amount of traffic restrictions during the project. 

The traditional method of replacing an at-grade bridge, like the Rio de Flag bridge, would require six to nine months of lane restrictions. By using the precast method, drivers can expect approximately six to eight weeks of lane restrictions plus a seven-day full closure to remove and replace the bridge.

The first of those lane restrictions is planned during the week of Nov. 9 as crews remove the raised median along Route 66 between US 180, known locally as Humphreys Street, and Phoenix Avenue in preparation for the bridge replacement project.

East- and westbound Route 66 will be alternately narrowed to one lane between US 180 and Phoenix Avenue. Only one direction will be restricted at a time. There will also be no left turns allowed at Santa Fe Avenue.

Traffic restrictions are scheduled around the clock, beginning at 6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9, and continuing through 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13.

The seven-day full closure of Route 66 is planned for sometime next spring with the $4.9 million project anticipated to be completed by summer 2021.

ADOT is also partnering with the city of Flagstaff in excavating more of the Rio de Flag Wash than needed for this bridge project in order to set the stage for future city improvement projects in the area.

Did you notice? Work progresses on I-17 at Central Avenue

Did you notice? Work progresses on I-17 at Central Avenue

Did you notice? Work progresses on I-17 at Central Avenue

Did you notice? Work progresses on I-17 at Central Avenue

By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications
October 22, 2020

September 2020 Central Avenue Bridge Replacement Project

You may have noticed, but we like to show you photos of our ongoing construction projects. 

Partially it's because we get some great shots as asphalt goes down, girders go up, rocks go "boom" or signs go in. But it's also because it's not always easy to see progress being made as you are driving through a construction site to get home, to work or to wherever you might be heading.

That might be the case with the current phase of our project to replace the Interstate 17 bridge at Central Avenue. Some parts have been noticeable; anyone driving on the I-17 in central Phoenix will have noticed that since June the road has been narrowed to two lanes in each direction and traffic has been using only the northbound side of the old bridge. You may also have seen when demolition work on the southbound bridge was ongoing earlier this summer.

But the photos to the right show something that's a little more difficult to notice: Crews hard at work building the piers that will eventually support the new southbound bridge. While this new structure won't be finished until early next year, you can see that progress is definitely happening.

Once the new southbound bridge is finished, there will be more noticeable changes. Traffic will be switched to the recently finished structure, and then it's the northbound side's turn to be knocked down and built back up. The project is schedueld to be completed in fall 2021, so drivers should continue to expect delays in the area while I-17 is narrowed to two lanes in each direction. They should also consider using Interstate 10 if they are going beyond the downtown area. 

As part of the $13.5 million rebuild, we are improving upon the original bridge that has serviced drivers since 1962. The new bridge will raise the clearance on Central Avenue from 14 to 16 feet, which will also allow for the future extension of the Valley Metro light rail south of the downtown area. Plus, the structure will be wide enough to accommodate future work to add auxiliary, or merge, lanes along the right shoulder of I-17 in both directions between the on- and off-ramps at Seventh Street and Seventh Avenue.

We think you'll also notice – and appreciate – that.

New, wider Fourth Street bridge complete in Flagstaff

New, wider Fourth Street bridge complete in Flagstaff

I-17 101 traffic interchange

New, wider Fourth Street bridge complete in Flagstaff

New, wider Fourth Street bridge complete in Flagstaff

October 14, 2020

PHOENIX – The new Fourth Street bridge passing over Interstate 40 in Flagstaff is now complete, providing improved safety and traffic flow in the area.

The Arizona Department of Transportation used an innovative accelerated bridge construction method known as the bridge slide to construct the new bridge and complete the project in just over six months.  The slide method allowed ADOT to construct the bridges to one side, then slide them into place over one long closure which greatly reduced the impact to the traveling public.

The new bridge has two lanes in each direction, a center turn lane and a protected path for bicycles and pedestrians on one side and a sidewalk on the other. The protected path connects the Flagstaff Urban Trail System across the interstate.

The city of Flagstaff paid for half of the cost of the new Fourth Street bridge in addition to covering the cost of aesthetic enhancements.

This project also includes a resurfaced bridge deck and repairs to the pavement approaches to the Butler Avenue bridges over I-40. The total cost of the project for both bridges is $13.9 million.

For its use of accelerated bridge construction techniques on this project, the Federal Highway Administration granted the Arizona Department of Transportation an extra 5 percent of the construction cost on top of the normal federal allocation under its Increased Federal Share program. The federal allocation reduces the state's costs, and this extra money allows ADOT to put that portion of state Highway User Revenue Fund proceeds toward other priorities.

ADOT has been using different innovative methods to accelerate bridge construction for different bridges along I-40. This is the second time in the past year ADOT has used the bridge slide method. The first time was installing new Bellemont bridges at I-40 and Hughes Avenue, formerly Transwestern Road, west of Flagstaff. 

Also last year, the agency used a process known as a geosynthetic reinforced soil-integrated bridge system to rebuild the bridges on I-40 at Meteor City Road, creating abutments by putting in alternating layers of granular fill reinforced with synthetic material. That process also cut construction time by months.

Bridge repairs to narrow northbound I-15 in Virgin River Gorge

Bridge repairs to narrow northbound I-15 in Virgin River Gorge

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Bridge repairs to narrow northbound I-15 in Virgin River Gorge

Bridge repairs to narrow northbound I-15 in Virgin River Gorge

October 8, 2020

PHOENIX – Northbound Interstate 15 will be narrowed to one lane over Bridge No. 7 in the Virgin River Gorge for the next several weeks so the Arizona Department of Transportation can repair damage from an August crash involving a semi-truck.

Beginning at 6 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, northbound I-15 will be narrowed to one lane at milepost 22. Drivers traveling between Mesquite, Nevada and St. George, Utah should expect delays and allow extra travel time. Southbound I-15 traffic will not be affected by the work.

All vehicles wider than 10 feet will have to use a 224-mile detour route during construction because of the Virgin River Gorge terrain and the narrow width of I-15. Signs will direct wide-load traffic to the detour route of US 93, Nevada State Route 319 and Utah State Route 56 between Las Vegas and Cedar City, Utah. 

In August, a semi-truck heading northbound on I-15 crashed and caught fire while crossing Bridge No. 7. Crews will be repairing the guardrail, concrete barrier wall and bridge deck, all of which were damaged in the crash. Maintenance crews set up temporary barriers at the crash site until ADOT could arrange for the repair project.

Work is anticipated to be completed by the end of November.

Drivers should proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down and watch for construction personnel and equipment.

Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov, by calling 511 and through ADOT’s Twitter feed, @ArizonaDOT. When a freeway closure or other major traffic event occurs, our free app available at azdot.gov/ADOTAlerts will send critical information directly to app users in affected areas – where possible, in advance of alternate routes.

Throwback Thursday: Over the bridge and under the surface

Throwback Thursday: Over the bridge and under the surface

Throwback Thursday: Over the bridge and under the surface

Throwback Thursday: Over the bridge and under the surface

By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications
September 24, 2020

At first glance this photo might seem a little ordinary. A couple vehicles driving down a road next to some powerlines and buildings.

For those who enjoy visiting Lake Powell or, like us, are road buffs, you'll recognize this as the US 89 bridge that crosses the Colorado River just south of the Glen Canyon Dam near Page. Though, truth be told, that doesn't make this photo seem less pedestrian (pun intended).

But when we found this undated photo in our archive, we started thinking about that bridge and the US highway that runs over it. What could this ordinary scene tell us about Arizona's transportation history?

As we've told you about before, US 89 is actually the first designated north-south highway in the state and was part of the first batch of highways to actually be given a number in the mid-1920s. Our 2012 Transportation History report has a whole section just on this one highway, which adds that at one point US 89 stretched between Canada and Mexico, and was planned to be part of a projected intercontinental road that would have ended in Buenos Aires.

For the first few decades of its existence, US 89 actually stretched between Nogales in the south and Fredonia in the north, connecting Tucson, Florence, Mesa, Phoenix, Wickenburg, Prescott, Ash Fork and Flagstaff. As part of its traversing of the state, it crossed two important bridges, at Cameron over the Little Colorado River and then Marble Canyon over the Colorado River.

With the completion of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963 and the bridge in this photo the following year, US 89's route was changed to swing through Page and then down to Flagstaff, making the Fredonia to Bitter Springs section the alternative, or US 89A. And, like most of the early highways, US 89 was heavily impacted by the interstates, which took away much of its raison d'être as a major north-south connector. By 1992, all but the northermost stretch had been decomissioned as a US highway. 

Once you consider all that, we guess it makes this photo look a lot less ordinary. What additional fascinating bits of highway history might be sitting under other well-traveled routes?

Big bridge history near little Cameron

Big bridge history near little Cameron

Big bridge history near little Cameron

Big bridge history near little Cameron

By Laurie Merrill / ADOT Communications
September 10, 2020

Today three bridges cross the Little Colorado River near Cameron. The newest two spans for north- and- southbound traffic are flanked by the original 1911 crossing that today carries only an oil pipe.

As Arizona grew after becoming a state, so did the need for trappers, traders, and prospectors to cross the Little Colorado. Increasingly sophisticated bridges were constructed at the site in 1911, 1958 and 2016, which is where the Arizona Highway Department, and later ADOT, comes in.

But at the turn of the 20th century, there were no bridges.

“This was out in the middle of no-where,” said Merlin Carson, 78, an aero-space engineer turned Native American art expert who spends his days at the historic Cameron Trading Post. “There was nothing but sheep trails all over the place and a great many trading posts.”

The main way to cross the river at the edge of the Hopi and Navajo reservations was Tanner’s Crossing, named after Mormon prospector Seth Tanner from Tuba City. However, the rocky ford left much to be desired. Flooding and quicksand were unpredictable and dangerous.

BRIDGE PROJECT I

In March of 1911, Congress appropriated $90,000 for construction of a bridge built by the Midland Bridge Co. for the Office of Indian Affairs.

“At that time, there were hardly any cars,” Carson said. “It was a bridge for the Navajo people. The bridge was the earliest safe crossing of the river. It was meant for walking across with your cattle or your sheep.”

There's even a story that in 1937 a large herd of sheep crossing the bridge caused it to sway badly and nearly collapse, leading to some repairs to shore it up. 

The Cameron Construction Bridge is an engineering marvel that played a large role in Arizona’s growth, according to an Arizona State Historic Preservation Office report.

According to the report, the bridge “is significant for its association with the initial growth of Arizona’s highway system as a major bridge which opened the northern portion of the state to development … A hybrid of suspension and truss forms, the bridge has engineering significance as the oldest surviving highway suspension bridge in the state and that utilized novel engineering techniques to cross the wide canyon of the Little Colorado River.”  

Decades passed, technology advanced and foot traffic gave way to large vehicles. By the mid-1950s this became a problem as the old bridge was not capable of carrying heavy construction equipment needed to build the Glen Canyon Dam.

BRIDGE PROJECT II

It was a fight in Congress to get funding for the next bridge. The leading advocate was Arizona Sen. Carl Trumbull Hayden, who was elected in 1912 as the state’s first congressman and retired 56 years later after serving seven terms in the US Senate.

He wielded great power in his role as Senate Appropriations Committee chairman, and it was in this position that he argued eloquently and successfully for nearly $1 million in funding to build the Cameron Truss Bridge.

“I have in mind particularly construction of the bridge across the Little Colorado River in Arizona, absolutely essential in order to get material out to Glen Canyon Dam that is to be built,” Hayden said during hearings on Supplemental Appropriation Bill, 1958, according to a report in the Library of Congress.

“The present structure will not carry a heavy load, and the State of Arizona has obtained a very favorable contract for the bridge.”

To further accommodate construction equipment, US 89 was widened at that time and modernized from Flagstaff to Page.

In 1959, the Cameron Truss Bridge was completed over the Little Colorado just east of the original 1911 bridge. The truss bridge was useful for the next 57 years. That's just one year more than Hayden, its champion, served in Congress.

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BRIDGE PROJECT III

In 2014, work began on an ambitious ADOT project that included tearing down the truss bridge and erecting a modern, wider crossing in its place. It was part of a $38 million, two-year project that also included expanding US 89 from two lanes to four and adding three miles of upgrades south of the bridge. New sidewalks, streetlights and four pedestrian and livestock underpasses were completed.

Before work on the new bridge could kick into gear, engineers faced the formidable challenge of removing the solid, heavy, steel truss bridge. Engineers solved it by first removing the deck, then cutting the remaining structure into six pieces, which were disassembled and hauled off site.

The modern replacement has two bridges, one each for northbound and southbound traffic. Each lane measures 12 feet.  

When it was completed in 2016 it became the new neighbor of the old 1911 bridge. That first span doesn't carry traffic anymore, but utility lines over the Little Colorado River. While its usefulness as a traffic bridge has long ended, it continues serving Arizona faithfully.

It’s among the lures of travelers who frequent the historic Cameron Trading Post, where you might run into art expert Carson.

And the new bridge at Cameron? Like its forebearers, it will serve travelers for decades to come.

The triumph and folly of Antelope Bridge

The triumph and folly of Antelope Bridge

The triumph and folly of Antelope Bridge

The triumph and folly of Antelope Bridge

By Kathy Cline / ADOT Communications
August 13, 2020

It's a mere memory now, but there was a time when Antelope Bridge was one of the most important bridges over the Gila River.

Nestled at the foot of Antelope Hill near Tacna, Antelope Bridge was a vital part of the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway across southern Arizona. The site was first surveyed in 1912 with an original design of 15 girder spans supported by massive bullnosed concrete piers. The bridge's overall length was almost 1000 feet, not including the timber trestle approaches on the ends.

The state began construction in 1913 using prison labor. When it became apparent that would not suffice to get the job done, the original engineer redesigned the project and requested bids. But fate seemed to be against the project. The original builder badly underestimated what was needed to erect such a structure and defaulted. Not long after, Gila River floods damaged the partially completed bridge. The state pushed on with more prison labor, and in 1915 the bridge opened with a gala picnic and thousands of well-wishers.

All the excitement in the world, however, couldn't overcome one vital fact: The site was a poor selection. Antelope Bridge suffered extensive damage with almost every major flood on the Gila. After years of repeated reconstruction of the concrete bridge and timber pile approach trestles, the bridge was replaced in 1929 by the now-abandoned McPhaul Bridge.

Antelope Bridge is in ruins today, but it was a major crossing on a nationally important transcontinental route. It's also significant in state history as one of the few structures remaining from the early state period built using prison labor.

Everything now in place for the Fourth Street bridge project

Everything now in place for the Fourth Street bridge project

Everything now in place for the Fourth Street bridge project

Everything now in place for the Fourth Street bridge project

By Ryan Harding / ADOT Communications
August 5, 2020

Traffic is now driving on the new Fourth Street bridge, which opened recently after crews put the new bridges in place using an innovative method known as bridge sliding.

The bridge slide method is a technique that basically moves precast bridges using hydraulic jacks. The new Fourth Street bridges were moved nearly 50 feet into place after the old bridge was removed! This technique shaves a ton of time off of normal bridge construction. We’re talking days instead of months.

Fortunately for you, a member of ADOT’s video team was onsite to capture the Fourth Street bridge sliding into place. Check it out in this video to the right.

The new bridge is wider, adding a lane in each direction. It also includes a walled-off section for bicycles and pedestrians to cross the bridge, connecting the Flagstaff Urban Trail System across I-40.

The project as a whole is expected to wrap up this fall.

ADOT is always looking for new, innovative ways to deliver highway projects that can reduce delays and inconvenience for drivers. The bridge sliding technique is another way ADOT is delivering a safe, reliable transportation system more efficiently.