Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge Highway Bridge
Constructed - 1915 & Rededicated - 2002
In 1913 after strong campaigning from the citizens of Yuma, Representative Carl Hayden secured funding for this bridge. When completed, it was the only highway bridge across the Colorado River for 1,200 miles. It was partially funded by the Office of Indian Affairs, with the State of Arizona and Imperial County, California each contributing $25,000.
Government engineers designed the bridge in Washington without knowledge of the site. Because the engineers were unfamiliar with the unpredictable Colorado River, problems arose early in the construction. While beautiful in design, the structure required falsework across the river for support during construction. Sudden, violent flooding was common on the river at the time and washed out the falsework twice. The contractor finally erected the truss on the south side of the river and floated it into position on barges.
In 1979, the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was an important link in the Transcontinental Highway and is an early and rare example of its structural type in Arizona.
Marker is on Penitentiary Avenue ½ mile north of East 1st Street, on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
