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| Clickable map. Interstate 40 and the
original 1926 alignment of Route 66 meet at Topock to cross the
Colorado River and enter California. To the East, the 1926
Route 66 alignment heads north to Oatman and on to cross the Black
Mountains through Sitgreaves Pass. Interstate 40 and Route 66's 1952
Yucca bypass go south of the mountains following the path of the
Santa Fe Railroad. |
Where's Topock? Even if you look long and hard, you won't
find Topock except on the map. In 1883, there was a little
settlement along the area where the Colorado was narrow enough to make it
feasible to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
Railroad to build a bridge. A post office, first called Acme,
and later changed to Topock, was established in 1906. Today, the
Topock post office is located in Golden Shores. All that remains of
Topock is a marina and a triad of bridges.
The Red Rock Bridge crosses the Colorado. The first bridge
to cross the Colorado River along the alignment of Route 66 was a wooden
structure built by the railroad in 1883. They replaced the wooden
bridge with the Red Rock Bridge in 1890. A daring and expensive
project at the time, the bridge was one of the first steel bridges.
For a construction cost of $462,434 ($9.4 million in 2003 dollars) Santa
Fe's trains would pass over the longest cantilever bridge in America.
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| The plaque from the Red Rock Bridge has been saved
from the scrap heap for display at the Needles Museum. The Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad purchased the Atlantic &
Pacific Railroad for its charter to build a railroad across Arizona
and into California. 1-04. |
The Red Rock Bridge was designed to carry two 94 ton engines pulling
3,000 pounds per linear foot. Trains grew heavier and longer. The
bridge was strengthened in 1901, but by 1911 the situation had become
critical. A pier and support was added in the middle of the span and
the bridge was no longer cantilever.
Trains and cars share a bridge. The Needles Ferry began
moving travelers across the Colorado in 1890. The National Old
Trails Highway which followed the Santa Fe trail through Colorado, New
Mexico and Arizona crossed the Colorado river via the Needles Ferry.
In 1914, a flood took the ferry out of service. As an emergency
measure, planks were put on the Red Rock Bridge and motorists crossed the
bridge between trains. The Red Rock Bridge continued to carry motor
vehicles until the Trails Arch Bridge was completed on February 20, 1916.
The Trails Arch Bridge crosses the Colorado. The Trails
Arch Bridge was located 800 feet downstream from the Red Rock Bridge, and
like the Red Rock Bridge was a groundbreaking event in bridge building.
For 12 years, it was the longest three hinged arch bridge in the nation.
When Route 66 came into being in 1926, many parts of the National Old
Trails Highway became part of the new route, and Route 66 crossed the
Colorado over the Trails Arch Bridge.
| An Arch Bridge Primer |
| Except for the girder bridge, the arched
bridge is the oldest type of bridge construction. There are 4 kinds
of arched bridges. |
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The unhinged arch is anchored directly on its
foundation. The bridge is strong but can only be used where
the ground is very stable. |
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The 2 hinge arch has hinged bearing points where the
arch meets the foundation to accommodate movement such as
settling and minor quakes. It is the most common arched bridge
now in use. |
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The 3 hinge arch adds a third hinge at the top of
the arch making it very forgiving of ground movement. It is
more difficult to fabricate and is seldom used today. |
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The tied arch does not rely upon its foundation to
prevent the arch from spreading. The arch is tied to the
girder portion of the bridge. As a result, it makes the least
requirements on ground stability. |
Although it was a substantial improvement over a ferry and sharing a
bridge with trains, the Trails Arch Bridge was not without its
limitations. It was rated for a load limit of 11 tons, but was only
wide enough for one way traffic of trucks and busses. This
limitation was not a serious problem until the increase in truck traffic
which came with World War II. Adding to the bridge's problems, the
completion of Parker Dam on March 4, 1938, backed up water enough to cover
the abutments and lower hinges of the bridge.
Automobiles return to the Red Rock Bridge. The search for
a new way for Route 66 to cross the Colorado began in the early 1940's.
Sites north and south of Needles were considered, as was crossing over
Davis Dam. It was finally determined that there already was a bridge
more than adequate for all of the vehicles traveling on Route 66.
The only drawback was that the Santa Fe railroad owned that bridge and was
not inclined share right of way with vehicles again. This impediment
was resolved when the Santa Fe opened a new bridge in 1945.
The rails were removed from the bridge and 7 inches of reinforced
concrete were poured for the roadway. The modification of the half
century old bridge was completed on May 21, 1947, and automobiles again
made their way over the Colorado on the Red Rock Bridge. It
continued to carry Route 66's traffic for 19 more years.
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| The four lane Interstate 40 bridge crosses the
Colorado just south of the double track railroad bridge. The
Trails Arch Bridge is several hundred feet south (to the left) of
the highway bridge.
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PG&E saves the Arch. When Route 66 abandoned the
Trails Arch Bridge, its demise seemed eminent. In the ultimate act
of recycling, Pacific Gas and Electric took over the bridge. They
removed the roadway and replaced it with gas and utility lines. As
the bridge approaches a century of use, its bright white paint gives it
the pristine appearance of far younger structure.
The Interstate spells the end for the Red Rock Bridge. In
1966, Interstate 40 came to the Colorado. A four lane steel girder
bridge was placed on five concrete piers immediately south of the 1945
Santa Fe girder and truss bridge. Time had run out for the Red Rock
Bridge. It was abandoned as was much of Route 66 with the coming of
Interstate 40. It sat rusting and unused for over a decade until it
was dismantled in 1978.
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