Eric & I passed this suspension
bridge while driving south from
Quartzsite on US 95.
I've wondered about the water it crosses and where the road it connects goes. This is the McPhail Suspension Bridge. It was built in 1928 - 1929 to carry traffic over the Gila River. It was closed in 1968 to traffic in 1968. The larger, heavier vehicles were approaching, if not exceeding the weight load deemed safe.
One day Eric & I took a drive to see the bridge close up and find out more about it.
The bridge is no longer usable & there's a nearby nest of Bees.
The road to the bridge is
blocked off.
The No Trespassing sign
discourages people on
foot.
With many warnings to stay off the bridge, I decide to take these pictures from behind the guide rail.
The plaque on the left side of the bridge has been removed & has been graffitied.
The plaque on the right has also
been removed.
This is the McPhail Bridge. It was built in 1928 - 1929 to cross the Gila River. The Imperial Dam, north of Yuma, was built in 1936 - 1938. The Gila River was rerouted and another bridge was built over the river's new route, leaving this bridge "high and dry."
The bridge was used until 1968. Arizona DOT decided that it wouldn't safely carry the weight of heavier modern trucks. That's probably when the plaques were removed from it. The McPhail Bridge became Arizona's "Bridge to Nowhere."
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