Canyon Diablo Bridge is an abandoned automobile bridge in

Coconino County, Arizona Coconino County is a County (United States), county in the North Central Arizona, North-Central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff, Arizon ...

, United States, approximately east of

Flagstaff, Arizona Flagstaff ( ), known locally as Flag, is the county seat of Coconino County, Arizona, in the southwestern United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 76,831. Flagstaff is the principal city of the Coconino Cou ...

. The bridge carried

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

over Canyon Diablo. The ghost town of Two Guns, once a prosperous tourist stop, is near the east end of the bridge.

History and design

As settlers populated the area in the mid-1800s, the Two Guns location was recognized as a favorable place to cross the formidable Canyon Diablo; first by wagon, then later by vehicle. Travelers would follow paths which zig-zagged the canyon's embankments, and then cross the usually-dry riverbed. In 1914, Canyon Padre Bridge was opened west of Two Guns. That same year, Arizona State engineer Lamar Cobb selected and surveyed the Two Guns location for the construction of a bridge across Canyon Diablo. Plans and specifications were purchased for $500 from the Topeka Bridge & Iron Co., who designed a standard

Luten arch A Luten arch is a patented concrete arch design for bridges, designed by Daniel B. Luten, of Indianapolis. Luten was awarded more than 30 patents for his improvements of the Luten arch design. The Luten arch improves upon preceding concrete arc ...

bridge with a

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...

ed roadway, similar in design to the bridge across Canyon Padre. Water occasionally flowed through Canyon Diablo, and the volatile nature of those flows was reflected in the design of the bridge's concrete parapet walls; the upstream wall was solid to protect the roadway from floodwaters, while the downstream wall was pierced with slots. The construction contract was awarded late in 1914 to the lowest bidder for $9000, Thomas Haddock of

Williams, Arizona Williams () is a city in Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino County, Arizona, United States, located west of Flagstaff, Arizona, Flagstaff. Its population was 3,023 at the 2010 census. It lies on the routes of U.S. Route 66 in Arizona#Historic Ro ...

, who used concrete and reinforcing steel supplied by the state to erect the bridge that winter. On March 17, 1915, Canyon Diablo Bridge opened. The bridge was at first part of the

National Old Trails Road National Old Trails Road, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, was established in 1912, and became part of the National Auto Trail system in the United States. It was long and stretched from Baltimore, Maryland (some old maps indicate N ...

(known as the Santa Fe Highway in Arizona), which in 1926 became part of

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

. The bridge was used until a new bridge was erected just north of Canyon Diablo Bridge in 1938, after which Route 66 followed

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west transcontinental Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States, southeastern and Southwestern United States, southwestern portions of the United States. At a leng ...

at the Two Guns location. The Canyon Diablo Bridge was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1988.

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Coconino County, Arizona Luten bridges Arch bridges in the United States U.S. Route 66 in Arizona Transportation in Coconino County, Arizona Bridges completed in 1915 Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona National Register of Historic Places in Coconino County, Arizona 1915 establishments in Arizona Concrete bridges in Arizona

History and design

See also

References