Red Cliff Bridge
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| Red Cliff Bridge | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Carries | Vehicle traffic |
| Crosses | Eagle River |
| Locale | near Vail, Colorado |
| Design | Arch bridge |
| Longest span | 317.8 ft (96.3 m) |
| Total length | 470 ft (142.4 m) |
| Width | 29.8 ft (9 m) |
| Beginning date of construction | 1939 |
| Completion date | 1940 |
| Opening date | 1941 |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
Red Cliff Bridge (also known as the Eagle River Bridge) is an arch bridge near Vail, Colorado that carries U.S. Highway 24 over the Eagle River. It is one of only two steel arch bridges within the entire state[1] and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (reference number 85000204[2]).
The bridge was designed by King Burghardt and built in 1939. Construction was difficult, with workers starting with a cantilevered design, sometimes in sub-zero (below -32°C) temperatures hanging over a 200 foot (61 m) drop. Burghardt wrote in his journal, "In the morning, each gang was lifted to its scaffold on a platform hung from the high line. They took their lunches with them and spent the entire day in the air with the winter wind continually blowing up the canyon."[1]
Over the years, the bridge's condition deteriorated, necessitating restoration work, which was completed in November 2004 at a cost of $3.6 million,[1] with slightly half of that coming from the Federal Highway Administration.[3] The bridge deck was replaced and widened and much of the steel were repainted. However, because of the bridge's historic status, care was taken to maintain the visual aesthetic. The rehabilitation effort won the 2005 National Steel Bridge Alliance Prize Bridge Award for Reconstructed Bridge.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Shanks, Nancy (September/October 2005). "Preserving Red Cliff Arch". Public Roads 69 (2).
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2006-03-15).
- ^ U.S. Transportation Secretary Mineta Announces $6.4 Million for Colorado Highway, Bridge Projects. Federal Highway Administration (May 4, 2004). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
- ^ 2005 Winners. National Steel Bridge Alliance (December 1, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
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