The Brotherhood Bridge is a

road bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

Juneau The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

.USGS GNIS Feature Detail Report
/ref> The bridge carries the Glacier Highway over the

Mendenhall River The Mendenhall River (Tlingit language, Lingít: ''Woosh Ilʼóox̱ʼu Héen'') is an Alaskan river north of Juneau, Alaska, Juneau in the Mendenhall Valley. The river begins at the Mendenhall Lake, at the base of the Mendenhall Glacier. Rafting o ...

, acting as a demarcation point of sorts between the urban and rural portions of mainland Juneau. The bridge was named in honor of the

Alaska Native Brotherhood The Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) and its counterpart, the Alaska Native Sisterhood (ANS), are two nonprofit organizations founded to address racism against Alaska Native peoples in Alaska. ANB was formed in 1912 and ANS founded three years lat ...

(ANB). It was designed by civil engineer Roy Peratrovich, Jr., the son of Roy and

Elizabeth Peratrovich Elizabeth Peratrovich (née Elizabeth Jean Wanamaker, ; July 4, 1911December 1, 1958) was an American civil rights activist, Grand President of the Alaska Native Sisterhood, and member of the Tlingit nation who worked for equality on behalf of ...

, who were leaders in the ANB and counterpart Alaska Native Sisterhood. Bronze plaques on the bridge refer to the Raven and Eagle clans of the

Tlingit The Tlingit ( or ; also spelled Tlinkit) are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their language is the Tlingit language (natively , pronounced ),

people. Previous bridges across the Mendenhall River, at or near the same spot, were constructed in 1903, 1919 and 1931. It was entered into the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

on March 31, 1981. The Brotherhood Bridge was slated for replacement, with widening and other improvements, in 2012. Demolition of the old bridge and construction of a new 99.5-foot-wide bridge happened concurrently in stages, beginning April 25, 2014, and completing October 31, 2015. The name Brotherhood Bridge was appropriated by a band consisting of Juneau-area musicians.

References

{{Reflist 1965 establishments in Alaska Alaska Native culture in Juneau Transportation buildings and structures in Juneau, Alaska Bridges completed in 1965 Road bridges in Alaska Tlingit