page_title: U.S. Route 89A
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: U.S. Route 89A / History
caption_attribution_description: English: The 1929 Navajo Bridge at left, and the 1995 Navajo Bridge at right. These bridges cross the Colorado River at Marble Canyon. The Echo Cliffs are in the backround, to the east. The original bridge was the highest in the world at the time, replacing the Lee's Ferry crossing on the river. It was the only bridge crossing the Colorado River for over 600 miles. Despite the sparsely populated region, over 5,000 people attended the dedication. Original Bridge, at left Dedicated: June 14-15, 1929 Construction cost: $390 thousand Total length: 834 ft (254 m) Steel arch length: 616 ft (188 m) Arch rise: 90 ft (27.4 m) Height above river: 467 ft (142 m) Width of the roadway: 18 ft (5.5 m) Amount of steel: 2.4 million lbs (1,089,000 kg) Amount of concrete: 500 cu yds (385 m3 Amount of steel reinforcement: 8,200 lbs (3,700 kg) New Bridge, at right The main pin was set October 14, 1994, after seven months of construction. Construction cost $14.7 million Total length: 909 ft (277 m) Steel arch length: 726 ft (221 m) Arch rise 90: ft (27.4 m) Height above river: 470 ft (143 m) Width of the roadway: 44 ft (13.4 m) Amount of steel: 2.4 million lbs (1,089,000 kg) Amount of concrete: 1,790 cu yds (1370 m3 Amount of steel reinforcement: 3.9 million lbs (1,769,000 kg) Credits Two panel composite image with third image of bridge shadow by en:User:Leonard G.
context_page_description: U.S. Route 89A is a north–south auxiliary U.S. highway, though its actual direction of travel is more east–west. The highway is an old routing of U.S. Route 89 from Bitter Springs, Arizona to Kanab, Utah. The state of Arizona has designated this highway the Fredonia-Vermilion Cliffs Scenic Road. The highway is used to access Grand Canyon National Park and is known for the Navajo Bridge. Until 2008, the Utah portion was signed State Route 11.
context_section_description: This was part of mainline US 89 until the construction of Glen Canyon Dam. In 1960, US 89 was moved to a new, more northerly route and the old route became US 89A.
  The Utah segment of US 89A was first commissioned as part of State Route 11. This highway ran from Nephi to the Arizona state line near Kanab. This route is still drivable as the modern US 89A, US 89, and SR-132.  With the establishment of the United States highway system in 1926, most of SR-11 was used for the routing of US 89 through southern Utah; the internal designation used by state agencies remained SR-11.  In 1969, as part of a series of changes to state routes, the portion north of Sevier Junction (I-70 and US 89 near Joseph) was transferred to other routes, removing the only part of State Route 11 that was signed with the state designation. It is also during this time that a new alignment for US 89 was constructed to serve the Glen Canyon Dam, with SR-11 being now signed as US 89A south of Kanab and US 89 to the north. As part of the 1977 Utah state route renumbering to conform signage and legislative definitions, SR-11 was truncated to what is now signed US 89A.  The route was signed SR-11, with "TO US 89A" at the northern terminus in Kanab and a "TO US 89" at the Arizona state line.  In 2008, however, SR-11 was deleted after a bill in the Utah legislature was passed to restore U.S. Route 89A in Utah.
  From 1941 to 1992, there was a discontinuous southern portion US 89A running from Flagstaff to Prescott, Arizona, now designated Arizona State Route 89A.
caption: Navajo Bridge along US 89A, June 2009
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