"World's Highest Bridge 1929-2001" [HighestBridges]
The main span is 938.2' with a total length of 1,260'. This 0:08 video from a train in the gorge was the motivation for this research.
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Boston Public Library Flickr via BridgeHunter, License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)The world's highest bridge, spanning the top of the Royal Gorge.File name: 06_10_014250 Title: The world's highest bridge, spanning the top of the Royal Gorge. Date issued: 1930 - 1945 (approximate) Physical description: 1 print (postcard) : linen texture, color ; 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. Genre: Postcards Subject: Bridges; Rivers; Mountains Notes: Title from item. Collection: The Tichnor Brothers Collection Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department Rights: No known restrictions |
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Boston Public Library Flickr via BridgeHunter, License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)Diesel streamline train at bottom of the Royal Gorge along the Arkansas River near Canon City, Colorado.File name: 06_10_014273 Title: Diesel streamline train at bottom of the Royal Gorge along the Arkansas River near Canon City, Colorado. Date issued: 1930 - 1945 (approximate) Physical description: 1 print (postcard) : linen texture, color ; 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. Genre: Postcards Subject: Bridges; Rivers; Mountains Notes: Title from item. Collection: The Tichnor Brothers Collection Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department Rights: No known restrictions |
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Boston Public Library Flickr via BridgeHunter, License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)Suspension bridge over the Royal Gorge, Colo.File name: 06_10_014246 Title: Suspension bridge over the Royal Gorge, Colo. Date issued: 1930 - 1945 (approximate) Physical description: 1 print (postcard) : linen texture, color ; 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. Genre: Postcards Subject: Bridges; Rivers; Mountains Notes: Title from item. Collection: The Tichnor Brothers Collection Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department Rights: No known restrictions |
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| AARoads posted The Royal Gorge Bridge, the highest bridge in the United States. The bridge spans 955 feet above the Arkansas River near Canon City, Colorado. |
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| Colorado Fan Club commented on AARoad's post It is a must-visit at least once. I know people complain about the admission cost, but it's worth it. The Royal Gorge price includes more than just the bridge, and if you bring lunch, you could turn your time here into a half day event. AARoads: Colorado Fan Club Nice pic! We were here when there was wildfire smoke so that interfered with the view on these pics. |
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| Rebecca Brown posted Royal Gorge Bridge, Colorado |
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| Bob Dover posted The Royal Gorge Bridge is located in Cañon City, Colorado, about one hour south of Colorado Springs. The bridge crosses the Arkansas River, one of the longest rivers in the United States. However, what the bridge really crosses is not the river itself, but the incredibly deep, narrow chasm that the river has cut down through solid granite over millions of years. It was this gorge, with its bright pink, vertical walls, deeper than it is wide, that begged for someone to throw a suspension bridge across, just to show that they could. The bridge was built in 1929 for one reason only, and that was to serve as an attraction for tourists. Although the bridge was the first structure built here to attract tourists, many others have been added. A narrow-gauge inclined railway descending to the bottom of the gorge was added in 1931. The attraction was so successful that it eventually led to an entire amusement park. In addition to the bridge and inclined railway, an aerial tramway across the gorge parallel to the bridge was added, as well as normal amusement park rides, a zip line attraction, and a visitor center. The bridge is still the main attraction. It is a small suspension bridge, with steel cables and a wood plank deck. It is not decorated and, in fact, quite plain and industrial-looking in appearance. It is small, less than 20 feet wide, and about a quarter-mile long, no longer or more technologically advanced than any other suspension bridge built in the 1920s. The difference, though, is the height. At a time when other suspension bridges were being built a hundred feet or so above their river to allow passage of ships, Royal Gorge Bridge was thrown 900 feet high across the river. I have written a detailed description of the amusement park, and the bridge that serves as its centerpiece, in Chapter 7 of my book, Bridgespotting: A Guide to Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times. Fortunately, I visited on a bright, sunny day, which made for some very nice photographs. I have posted several of them onto a gallery on www.bridgespotting.com. |
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| I Love USA posted Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, USA! 📷: instagram.com/ah.nih.kah [Actually: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm3Ie8nOeG5/] |
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| Bryan Burton Photography posted This is one of the scenes on Royal Gorge Route Railroad. We are approximately 950 ft below the Royal Gorge Bridge traveling along the Arkansas River. 4/1/23 |
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| World's Best Places To Travel posted Royal Gorge Bridge & Park In Colorado, USA |
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| p923 of 1930-06-05 Engineering News-Record |
Of note in the above plans is the anchorage, a very important part of the design of a suspension bridge because of all of the tension in the cables. One advantage of this bridge is that it is anchoring in granite rock instead of a river shore. The anchorage was 100 2" pipes. Each pipe was 3' long and half of the pipe was set into the rock. 21 wires were wrapped around the other half. When they strung new cables during the 1983-4 rehab, they preserved an example of the old cable and anchorage. And Eric caught that detail.
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| Eric Sakowski Photo via Highest Bridges [This web page has a lot of photos of the bridge, and I highly recommend accessing it.] |
The rehab made the anchorages a very visible aspect of the bridge.
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| 2019 Nick Schmiedeler Photo via BridgeHunter, cropped |
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| 1994 Geoff Hubbs Photo via BridgeHunter, cropped, License: Released into public domain |
The tourist attraction included an incline railroad that went down to...
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| Boston Public Library Flickr via Bridge Hunter, License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) |
...a hanging bridge.
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| Thomas Wentzel post via Dennis DeBruler |
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| Steven J. Brown posted Union Pacific 844 along the Arkansas River in the Royal Gorge near Canon City, Colorado - June 22, 1997. |
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