Bridges

Art of Transportation: Snapshot of a snapshot

Art of Transportation: Snapshot of a snapshot

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Art of Transportation: Snapshot of a snapshot

Art of Transportation: Snapshot of a snapshot

By John Dougherty / ADOT Communications
July 9, 2019

Peek with us into the cabin of a crane as an operator removes the forms for new bridge piers on Interstate 17 at Pinnacle Peak Road.

It's a snapshot (literally) of a snapshot (metaphorically) of the work going into the massive project to improve this north Valley interchange by widening I-17 and constructing news interchanges at Pinnacle Peak and Happy Valley Road. You can learn more by visiting our website.

You can also check out more photos of recent construction in the photo gallery below.

I-17 and Pinnacle Peak Road_062119

Throwback Thursday: 90 years and a bottle of ginger ale

Throwback Thursday: 90 years and a bottle of ginger ale

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Throwback Thursday: 90 years and a bottle of ginger ale

Throwback Thursday: 90 years and a bottle of ginger ale

June 27, 2019

By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications

What does ginger ale have to do with Arizona transportation history?

To answer that, we have to throw back; to June 14, 1929. That's the date, just a hair more than 90 years ago, when the Grand Canyon Bridge – today known as the Navajo Bridge along US Route 89A – was dedicated. We know the photo above says 1930, but that's a mistake.

Believe or not, but at the time this was the only bridge over the Colorado River along a 600-mile stretch of the river between its confluence with the Green River in Utah and Topock Gorge (north of Lake Havasu City) in Arizona.

Before construction, all travel usually went over Lee's Ferry at the bottom of Marble Canyon. But with the invention and proliferation of the automobile, a more suitable way of getting over the river was needed. A bridge at Marble Canyon was first conceived by the Arizona Highway Department in 1923.

Though actually completed and taking traffic in January 1929, the ribbon-cutting for the bridge was a boisterous affair complete with speeches from Heber J. Grant, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the governors of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah; bands, choral groups and Native American dancers; and nearly 7,000 spectators in more than 1,200 automobiles.

And – to answer our own question – the bridge was reportedly christened with a bottle of ginger ale because Prohibition was still in effect at the time.

The structure still exists today, though it's been a pedestrian bridge since 1995, when a new vehicle bridge was built 150 feet downstream to handle modern vehicles that are wider and heavier.

We've done blog posts about the bridge before, including this before-and-after view. And, if you are interested, you can also find a more detailed history of this important structure from the National Park Service. And maybe think about popping open a can of ginger ale as you read to get a taste of what the dedication was like.

Form and function meet in old Ligurta Underpass

Form and function meet in old Ligurta Underpass

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Form and function meet in old Ligurta Underpass

Form and function meet in old Ligurta Underpass

June 21, 2019

By Kathy Cline / ADOT Communications

To some, it might look like any one of dozens of rural Arizona highway bridges. However, the Ligurta Underpass, just east of Telegraph Pass when heading toward Yuma, is a bit more gussied-up than most.

Construction on the underpass started in 1947, when Arizona Highway Department engineers began considering replacing the existing three-span steel girder underpass that carried US 80 under the Southern Pacific Railroad. At the time, US 80 was a major route across both Arizona and the southern half of the United States.

The work was finished in 1949, and the overpass served highway traffic until US 80 gave way to the new route of Interstate 8 in the late 1960s. That stretch of highway, bridge and all, was turned over to Yuma County. Today the Ligurta Underpass – in unaltered condition – continues to carry traffic on what's now referred to as Old US 80.

Blog-0620-Ligurta-underpass-rr-tracks

The significance of the underpass, however, is in its design rather than its function. The Arizona Highway Department typically used minimal detailing and plain facings on rural structures, reserving architectural flourishes for those in urban areas. The Ligurta Underpass is a noteworthy exception. Highway department engineers were so concerned with its proportions that they produced a line-drawing rendering of it in one-point perspective as part of the construction drawings.

With its clean proportions, and Art Moderne detailing, the Ligurta Underpass is one of the more aesthetically pleasing examples of rural bridge designed by the Arizona Highway Department.

You can learn more about the Ligurta Underpass in ADOT's Arizona Historic Bridge Inventory.

Flashback Friday: The day Yuma's Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge opened to traffic

Flashback Friday: The day Yuma's Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge opened to traffic

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Flashback Friday: The day Yuma's Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge opened to traffic

Flashback Friday: The day Yuma's Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge opened to traffic

By Steve Elliott / ADOT Communications
May 24, 2019

This week in 1915, according to a newspaper account from the time, a parade of decorated automobiles, a concert and horse races helped open the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge over the Colorado River at Yuma.

"Bridge Celebration: Yuma will celebrate as never before in history," the Arizona Sentinel and Yuma Weekly Examiner declared in a front page headline setting up the festivities on Saturday, May 22, followed by

Yuma citizens appreciate the kindly position which is assumed by the Arizona governor toward the coming celebration and believe that the executive proclamation will add greatly to its success. Though Yumaites are boosting the Yuma Project and the (sic) celebrating the completion of the great national highway bridge here we know that the entire Southwest will feel the thrill and benefit from every bit of energy put forth.

Let's all co-operate for the general good.

Now owned by Yuma County and visible from Interstate 8, this steel bridge with concrete piers and abutments was an important link in what was dubbed the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway and was the first highway span over the lower Colorado River. Here are the specs, courtesy of ADOT's Arizona Historic Bridge Inventory, pages 714-717 to be exact:

Flashback Friday: The day Yuma's Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge opened to traffic

The bridge came to be after then-Representative Carl Hayden steered a bill through Congress in 1913. Because it provided a crossing for the Yuma Indian Reservation just over the river in California, the Office of Indian Affairs picked up part of the $72,000 cost, with the state of Arizona and California's Imperial County each pitching in $25,000.

Flashback Friday: The day Yuma's Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge opened to traffic
It carried the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway for decades until I-8 arrived. Today it carries Penitentiary Avenue across the river. While it would be reasonable to assume that half of the bridge is in Arizona and the other half in California since it spans the Colorado River, it's entirely within Arizona thanks to how the state line runs through that area.

According to ADOT's Historic Bridge Inventory, the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge is "the earliest and longest through truss in Arizona, the only Pennsylvania truss and one of the only three pin-connected trusses among Arizona's vehicular structures."

Of course, now I need to learn what all that stuff is so I can tell you. Give me a minute ...

OK, so a bridge truss is a support made of linked beams, often in triangles, that provide rigidity and spread out the load. A through truss goes above the roadway, while a deck truss goes below. A Pennsylvania truss has a curved top to help support longer spans. And a pin-connected truss has pins connecting the truss components at joints.

Now get out there and cooperate for the general good.

Last girder set for South Mountain Freeway interchange in west Phoenix

Last girder set for South Mountain Freeway interchange in west Phoenix

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Last girder set for South Mountain Freeway interchange in west Phoenix

Last girder set for South Mountain Freeway interchange in west Phoenix

May 1, 2019

PHOENIX – Two years after construction began on an interchange connecting Interstate 10 and the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, crews have placed the final bridge girders needed for this huge Arizona Department of Transportation project in west Phoenix.

The milestone occurred over the weekend when Connect 202 Partners, the developer of the South Mountain Freeway, placed 21 concrete support beams, measuring up to 128 feet long and weighing 115,000 pounds apiece, for a flyover ramp that will carry HOV lanes.

To create the interchange’s five flyover ramps, large cranes have set 186 bridge girders above I-10 during weekend closures. These ramps, which will carry traffic seamlessly between the freeways, range in length from 115 feet (westbound Loop 202 to eastbound I-10) to 1,565 feet (westbound Loop 202 to westbound I-10).

Building the 22-mile South Mountain Freeway requires placing approximately 1,000 girders, all of which have been manufactured locally.

While the final girders are in place for the interchange in west Phoenix, several overnight and weekend I-10 closures and traffic restrictions are still needed to complete some of the remaining work, including pouring bridge decks and installing barrier wall.

The South Mountain Freeway is scheduled for full completion in 2020, although traffic is expected to be using the freeway earlier. It will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and a much-needed alternative to I-10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley.

For information on the project, please visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

Girder placement to begin on new I-10 bridges in Casa Grande

Girder placement to begin on new I-10 bridges in Casa Grande

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Girder placement to begin on new I-10 bridges in Casa Grande

Girder placement to begin on new I-10 bridges in Casa Grande

April 29, 2019

PHOENIX ‒ Drivers on Interstate 10 and Jimmie Kerr Boulevard in Casa Grande should watch for overnight restrictions and possible delays over the next two weeks as Arizona Department of Transportation crews place girders for new I-10 bridges over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard.

Work is scheduled to begin Tuesday night, April 30, and continue until about Thursday, May 9. Restrictions will be in place from 8 p.m. each night until 6 a.m. the following morning.

Two new two-lane bridges carrying I-10 traffic opened in January. Crews are now working on additions to those bridges to accommodate a third lane and a shoulder in each direction.

I-10 will remain open throughout the work, with lane restrictions planned near Jimmie Kerr Boulevard (milepost 198). Drivers should watch for signs to indicate which lane is closed.

Jimmie Kerr Boulevard will be closed occasionally at I-10 during the work. Westbound drivers can enter westbound I-10 at Jimmie Kerr Boulevard, exit at Florence Boulevard, then take I-10 eastbound to the Jimmie Kerr Boulevard exit. Eastbound drivers take Trekell Road south to I-8, then go east to I-10 and exit at Sunland Gun Road (exit 200).

ADOT is widening a 4-mile section of I-10 from Earley Road to east of Interstate 8 (milepost 196-200). The project is expected to be complete by late summer.

Along with a similar project widening a 4-mile section of I-10 near Eloy, the work will create a six-lane freeway from Casa Grande through Tucson. The second project, which includes an innovative dust detection zone, is scheduled for completion by early fall.

Take a tour of two projects improving I-10 between Casa Grande and Tucson

Take a tour of two projects improving I-10 between Casa Grande and Tucson

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Take a tour of two projects improving I-10 between Casa Grande and Tucson

Take a tour of two projects improving I-10 between Casa Grande and Tucson

April 23, 2019
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I-10 and Jimmie Kerr_041819

By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications

We are in the home stretch now for projects widening Interstate 10 in Casa Grande and between Eloy and Picacho. When this work is done later this year, I-10 will be three lanes in each direction all the way between Casa Grande and Tucson, all thanks to improvements ADOT has made in recent years.

As we mentioned in a release this week about upcoming work, new eastbound lanes near the State Route 87 junction between Eloy and Picacho are expected to open in mid-June, with full completion of this project in the fall. Similar work between Early Road and Interstate 8 in Casa Grande is scheduled to wrap up by late summer.

I-10 and SR 87 Drone_041819

We've been talking about these projects and what they mean for this busy corridor for a while now. So instead of repeating ourselves, we'll just show you where we are at. You can peruse all the ongoing bridge work happening on I-10 in Casa Grande (specifically, at Jimmie Kerr Drive and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks) in the top slideshow and then take a high-level peek at the new travel lanes and interchange near Eloy.

We hope you enjoy this look at both projects almost as much as you'll enjoy a wider I-10 in a few months.

Pinnacle Peak Road bridge construction gearing up along I-17

Pinnacle Peak Road bridge construction gearing up along I-17

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Pinnacle Peak Road bridge construction gearing up along I-17

Pinnacle Peak Road bridge construction gearing up along I-17

April 16, 2019

PHOENIX – A new bridge to carry Pinnacle Peak Road traffic over Interstate 17 will start to take shape over the next month as part of improvements coming to north Phoenix.

The Arizona Department of Transportation’s $50 million project is designed to improve traffic flow and safety by rebuilding the I-17 older interchanges at both Pinnacle Peak and Happy Valley roads.

In addition to building bridge abutment walls, crews this month will pour concrete for two 19-foot-tall pier columns along the center median of I-17 at Pinnacle Peak Road. The columns will help support the steel-reinforced concrete girders that will hold the Pinnacle Peak bridge deck. Crews are scheduled to place girders in mid-May.

Overnight lane restrictions are scheduled along Pinnacle Peak Road near I-17 the next two weeks for the bridge work. Eastbound Pinnacle Peak Road will be narrowed to one lane at the I-17 interchange from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday nights (April 17-18) this week. The same restriction is scheduled Monday through Thursday nights next week (April 22-25).

Drivers also can expect construction work to ramp up near I-17 and Happy Valley Road, where crews are building a diverging diamond interchange to replace the existing two-lane bridge and roundabouts.

The bridge work, including girder placement, will require more than a dozen full closures of I-17 in the project area between May and November, with many of them scheduled during overnight hours and on weekends. Specific information about restrictions and detour routes will be provided in advance of any closures.

Since the project started in November 2018, crews have focused on utility relocations, soil stabilization and building up embankments at both of the adjacent interchanges. An upgraded drainage culvert beneath Pinnacle Peak Road east of I-17 also has been completed.

The I-17/Happy Valley and Pinnacle Peak interchanges project is scheduled for completion in fall 2020. More information is available at azdot.gov/I17TrafficInterchanges.

On the road: A visit to Canyon Diablo Bridge

On the road: A visit to Canyon Diablo Bridge

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On the road: A visit to Canyon Diablo Bridge

On the road: A visit to Canyon Diablo Bridge

March 29, 2019

By Kathy Cline / ADOT Communications

This bridge may look like a ruin in the middle of nowhere, but it's one of Arizona's earliest examples of vehicular bridge construction.

Canyon Diablo Bridge used to carry Route 66 over Canyon Diablo, about 30 miles east of Flagstaff (the ghost town of Two Guns is near its east end). According to the National Park Service, Arizona State engineer Lamar Cobb selected and surveyed the location; plans and specifications were purchased for $500 from the Topeka Bridge & Iron Co. Thomas Maddock of Williams, Arizona, built the bridge for $9,000.

Canyon Diablo Bridge opened to traffic in 1915. Designed to deal with occasionally violent floods through Diablo Canyon, its upstream wall was solid to protect the roadway, while the downstream wall had slots to allow water through.

At first, the bridge was part of the Santa Fe Highway (national name: Old Trails Road), which became part of U.S. Route 66 in 1926. This bridge fell out of use in the 1930s, when a new bridge was put up just to the north of this one. That bridge followed Interstate 40 at Two Guns.

The Canyon Diablo Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Visiting this bridge is easy: Just take I-40 north to Exit 230 (Two Guns). You'll find the bridge along the historic Route 66, which goes through Two Guns.

Making way for a new SR 89 bridge near Ash Fork

Making way for a new SR 89 bridge near Ash Fork

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Making way for a new SR 89 bridge near Ash Fork

Making way for a new SR 89 bridge near Ash Fork

March 20, 2019

By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications

Travelers along State Route 89 south of Ash Fork will see the bridge over Meath Wash come down as crews begin the six-month process of a removing the old structure and replacing it with a cast-in-place, two-span bridge.

The original bridge dates back to 1932 and was widened in 1947.

The replacement bridge will look like the existing one with a few small differences, such as the spans being longer and the shoulders slightly wider. Crews will also reconstruct and re-stripe the approaches to the bridge to improve sight distance because of heavy traffic in the area from a cement plant.

A detour will direct traffic around the closed bridge. Motorists should expect delays in the area while the work progresses.

The bridge itself is expected to be closed for six months, though the overall project, which started at the end of January, is scheduled to last into October.

You can check out more information about the project, and subscribe for emailed updates, at its page on our website.