Old Trails Arch Bridge
Photos
Old Trails Arch Bridge
Looking SW from Arizona side
Photo taken by Craig Philpott
BH Photo #192249
Facts
- Overview
- Steel arch bridge over Colorado River carrying a pipeline (formerly carried US 66)
- Location
- Topock, San Bernardino County, California, and Mohave County, Arizona
- Status
- Open to authorized vehicles only
- Future prospects
- Preserved, current use for carrying pipeline.
- History
- Completed Feb. 20, 1916; traffic diverted May 21, 1947; bridge converted to carry natural gas pipeline
- Design
- Three-hinge steel arch
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 600.0 ft.
Total length: 800.0 ft.
- Recognition
- Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on September 30, 1988
- Also called
- Colorado River Bridge
Topac Bridge - Approximate latitude, longitude
- +34.71503, -114.48493 (decimal degrees)
34°42'54" N, 114°29'06" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 11/730323/3844321 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Topock
- Inventory number
- BH 46743 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- April 12, 2018: New photo from Richard Doody
- June 19, 2017: New Street View added by Dana and Kay Klein
- September 30, 2014: New photos from Royce and Bobette Haley
- October 11, 2013: Photo imported by Dave King
- July 3, 2011: New photo from Craig Philpott
- June 5, 2011: New photo from Craig Philpott
- January 16, 2011: New photos from Craig Philpott
- October 31, 2010: Added by Craig Philpott
Related Bridges
- Red Rock Bridge (Successor) - Bridge was kept for pipeline use when US 66 was rerouted.
- Old Trails Suspension Bridge #1 (Upstream)
- Old Trails Suspension Bridge #2 (Downstream)
Sources
- Craig Philpott - craigphilpott63 [at] gmail [dot] com
- Needles Bridges
- Royce and Bobette Haley - roycehaley111 [at] yahoo [dot] com
- Dana and Kay Klein
- Richard Doody
Comments
It can't prevent them jumping, but it can catch them! It can also thwart natural selection when idiots decide to cavort on the bridge.
If it stays, that's probably the purpose. It may also indicate that they are about to do some work and want to protect workers. Look again in a few months....
Wouldn't it be nice if they opened this to pedestrians and bikers who want to have the original Route 66 experience?
Yesterday I noticed black nets hanging below the bridge for the first time. To prevent jumpers?
I added this bridge on Oct. 2 and posted it (http://bridgehunter.com/az/mohave/old-trails-arch/). I just noticed that you also posted this bridge recently. Now there are two separate postings for the same bridge. So there will not be two postings for the same bridge, what do we do?
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/ca/san-bernardino/old-trails-arch/
I know that some places use bird netting to prevent birds from nesting on the bridge. Of course, this is more common in urban areas where people are always under the bridge.