Sanders Bridge is a steel truss bridge straddling the
Puerco River
The Puerco River or Rio Puerco is a tributary of the Little Colorado River in northwestern New Mexico and northeastern Arizona. It flows through arid terrain, including the Painted Desert.
Name
The Puerco River is sometimes called Rio Puerco ...
, near
Sanders, Arizona
Sanders ( nv, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Apache County, Arizona, United States. Sanders is located at the junction of U.S. Route 191 and Interstate 40. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 630.
Sanders has the ZIP code ...
. It was constructed in 1923 and gained National Historic status in 1988.
History
The
Arizona Highway Department
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT, pronounced "A-Dot") is an Arizona state government agency charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's highway system, the agency is also involved with p ...
(AHD) began a major improvement in what was then known as the Holbrook-Lupton Highway, running between the state line with
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
to
Adamana. The Sanders Bridge was one of two bridges included in the proposed upgrade, the other being the
Allentown Bridge. Based upon engineering drawings by AHD, the Monarch Engineering Company, based in
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, was awarded the contract for the Sanders Bridge. Construction began on May 22, 1923, and was completed by September 10, at a cost of $15,005. This section of highway would later become part of
US Route 66
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...
. However, in 1931, after another realignment of the highway system, the Sanders Bridge, along with the one at Allentown, were no longer included on Route 66. Currently, it carries local traffic on the
Navajo NationNavajo Indian Reservation. It is currently owned by the
U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and Al ...
.
Description
The substructure consists of concrete abutments and piers, on which sit timber stringers, supporting a timber deck which is covered with asphalt. The superstructure consists of a riveted steel, 6-panel Pratt pony truss. There are two spans, 75 feet in length and 14 feet 8 inches in width, with a total length of 190 feet, when the on and off ramps are taken into account.
See also
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References
{{reflist
Bridges in Arizona