The Coconino sun., 1927-05-06

Construction of the highest wagon
bridge in the United States, if not in
the world, will be started by the state
highway department within the next
two or three months, according to a
statement issued recently by w. G.
Lefebvre, state engineer.
The bridge will be the Grand Can
yon bridge over the Colorado river
five miles below Lees Ferry in Coco
nino county. It is planned at present
to advertise the call for bids for the
construction Of the bridge on or about
May 15. The date of the opening of
the bids has not been determined, but
it will be presumably some time after
June /.
Rushing Plans
All field surveys for the bridge
have been completed, Mr.. Lefebvre an
nounced, and the data turned over to
bridge engineers for the department.
Work on the plans and specifications
for the bridge is being rushed in order
to get them completed before May Is.
A crew from the highway depart
naent is at present engaged in drilling
for rock formations on both sides of
the canyon where the bridge is to be
located, and it is expected that the
drilling work will be done by May 8,
The bridge will be steel spandrel
arch structure, supported by piers
built into both sides of the canyon
walls at the site. The deck or floor
of the bridge will be of concrete.
The bridge will be 465 feet above
the waters of the Colorado river which
flow beneath it. The total length of
the bridge will be 800 feet. The length
of the clear span of the bridge will be
GIG feet. The next highest known
wagon bridge in the United States is
one in Oregon which is about $50 feet
above the. water it bridges. The
Grand Canyon bridge is more than 100
feet higher than the Oregon bridge.
So far as is known, the new bridge
over the Colorado river, when COM
pleted,, will be the highest wagon
bridge in. the world. However that
fame is not claimed for the structure
at present until it has been definitely
ascertained that it is.
Cost Is $285, 900
The bridge when finished will cost
1885, 900. OF that cost, 100000 has
been appropriated by the federal gov
ernsnerlt. The balance of the amount,
or $185,000, was appropriated by the
eighth legislature of the state to be
used by the highway department sole
ly in the construction of the. bridge.
AS the bill making the appropriation
carried the emergency clause, the
amount became available at once. The
appropriation for the bridge was the
only special highway appropriation
carrying the emergency clause.
The construction Of this particular
bridge promises to be one of the most
difficult pieces of bridge construction
ever attempted in the nation. Due to
the great depth to the water of the
river, ground work for the bridge will
be impossible and the entire structure
viii have to be erected by cantilever
construction.
In the words of the bridge engi
neers, it will be necessary to cantilever
the steel sections of the bridge into
place from both sides of the river un-
til the arch is Joined in the middle
and the bridge supports itself. The
piers Of the bridge will be built into
each side of the canyon wall. The
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piers on either side, and the support
ing arches of the spandrel will be
anchored in the piers below the deck.
Another difficult part of the con-
struction of the bridge is the fact that
all the steel cement and other mate
rails as well as the food supplies for
the crew will have to be trucked from
Flagstaff, a distance of 130 miles, to
the bridge site. This will add to the
length Of time necessary for construc-
tion, it is stated.
Span Is Named
When finished, the span promises
to be one of the most important in the
state Of Arizona. Although all ap-
preparations for the structure have
designated the bridge as the Lees
Ferry bridge, it has been decided
since the bridge is five miles south of
Lees Ferry to call it the Grand Can
yon bridge. 1t will span the upper