The daily tribune., 1908-03-16
LONGEST
ARCH BRIDGE
IN the WEST

| for which the state voted an appro.
priation Of 1900 during the session
of the last legislature and in which
the county of Fremont will expend .
sum not to exceed $1,000. will be
started at very early date and when
the work is commenced it will be
pushed to completion with all haste,
so that the high water Of midsummer
will not interfere with the green
cement. The bids for the work Is
now being published and the con.
tract will be let from the office Of
State Engineer Jaycox in Denver on
the twenty fifth Of the present month.
Mr.. Jaycox and the three commits
sioners Of Fremont county have been
appointed as construction board
and the commissioners will 90 to
Denver on the day on which the bids
are opened and the contract to be
awarded
This bridge is to be one Of the very
best and most substantial In the
county and will have a 125-foot con-
crete arch span being the largest con-
crete span In the West. There are
bridges constructed in this part Of the
country where spans are longer, but
they are made Of iron, steel and tim
ber. The next largest concrete span
in the state is at La Junta, but it
will be very small in comparison with
the Portland bridge. measuring only
eighty feet. This is a bridge across
the river in the vicinity Of La Junta
and was built by the county and state
jointly. When the span is completed
it will be seventeen feet above high
water.
The bridge will have an eighteen
foot roadway. The concrete will be
reinforced with so, 900 pounds of Ran
some twisted bars which will be made
by the Colorado Fuel and Iron COM
pany at it's steel works in Pueblo.
The exact location of the bridge will
be 100 feet east of Bridge Three,
which is just little east of Portland
and is to be bull. for the purpose of
opening up large farm area in that
region 1t will make An almost di.
rect outlet to this city for all that
farm trade which now goes to Canon
by reason of better road. The
route to Florence is very circuitons
and very difficult to travel over. The
concrete approaches alone will cost
e 900.
1t was originally figured that this
bridge would cost about $40, 900. the
state to pay $4,000 and the county of
Fremont ~. 900, but after specifics-
tions we're made and estimates fur
nished 1t was found that the structure
would involve a much larger sum of
money and for that reason the con-
struction was held up The Portland
Cement company seeing the advant.
age Of such road to the caste IN por.
tion Of the county recently made a
proposition to the county commits
siopers that II 1t would increase It's
allowance toward the construction Of
the bridge that 1t would pay the rest
Recent estimates are to the effect
that 1t will easily cost &16. ZOO, ex-
elusive Of approaches. to build and
complete the bridge. and the COM
missioners accepted the offer and then
appropriated another 1900 for the
work. When the bids are opened In
Denver the cement company will bid
eli. 900 for the bridge. agreeing to
complete the bridge for that amount.
the state paying ~ 900. the county
1900 and the Portland company to
pay the rest In labor and material
With this arrangement in effect the
county and state are safe In their ap-
portions and the cement company will
be held responsible for the building
Of the bridge according to specifca-
tions. even II the cost exceeds 30. 900.
II the cement company had not agreed
to build the bridge. the matter would
have hung Ere indehn itely and the
bridge not have been built for several
years TO come. But with this ar.