Rifle Bridge

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Rifle Bridge
Rifle Bridge.jpg
USA Colorado location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationOff SR 6/24 over Colorado River, Rifle, Colorado
Coordinates 39°31′40″N107°46′54″W / 39.527841°N 107.781572°W / 39.527841; -107.781572 (Rifle Bridge) Coordinates: 39°31′40″N107°46′54″W / 39.527841°N 107.781572°W / 39.527841; -107.781572 (Rifle Bridge)
Area0.2 acres (0.081 ha)
Built1909
Built bySheely, C.G.
Architectural stylePennsylvania/Parker Truss
MPS Vehicular Bridges in Colorado TR
NRHP reference # 85000213 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 4, 1985

The Rifle Bridge, over the Colorado River in Rifle, Colorado, was built in 1909. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. [1]

Colorado River major river in the western United States and Mexico

The Colorado River is one of the principal rivers in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The 1,450-mile-long (2,330 km) river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. and two Mexican states. Starting in the central Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the river flows generally southwest across the Colorado Plateau and through the Grand Canyon before reaching Lake Mead on the Arizona–Nevada border, where it turns south toward the international border. After entering Mexico, the Colorado approaches the mostly dry Colorado River Delta at the tip of the Gulf of California between Baja California and Sonora.

Rifle, Colorado City in Colorado, United States

The City of Rifle is a Home Rule Municipality in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 9,172 at the 2010 census, up from 6,784 at the 2000 census. Rifle is a regional center of the cattle ranching industry located along Interstate 70 and the Colorado River just east of the Roan Plateau, which dominates the western skyline of the town. The town was founded in 1882 by Abram Maxfield, and was incorporated in 1905 along Rifle Creek, near its mouth on the Colorado. The community takes its name from the creek.

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property.

It is a two-span steel through truss bridge, with one 12-panel Pennsylvania truss span and one 10-panel Parker truss span. It was assessed to be "situated poorly on a tight bend in the river and has required periodical maintenance to keep it in place. Despite construction of a concrete jetty in 1922 to divert the main channel, the Colorado continues to work against the pier and north abutment."

In a 1983 survey of Colorado's historic bridges, it was assessed that

The Rifle Bridge is historically significant as a regionally important crossing of the Colorado River - the most expensive contracted for [or] by Garfield County. Its Pennsylvania through span is the longest among the pinned trusses left in the state and is one of only two of its type in the survey; the Parker through is one of only two and is the longest of its type, and the two combined to form one bridge is unique. Erected by important Colorado bridge contractor C.G. Sheely, the Rifle Bridge is a visually striking long-span truss - one of Colorado's most significant vehicular bridges. [2]

Garfield County, Colorado County in the United States

Garfield County is one of the 64 counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2010 census, the population was 56,389. The county seat is Glenwood Springs. The county is named in honor of United States President James A. Garfield.

By then it was no longer in use for vehicular transportation. [2]

It is located between what is now U.S. Highway 6 on the north side of the river, and Interstate 70 on the south. [3]

U.S. Route 6 in Colorado highway in Colorado

U.S. Route 6 (US 6) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that travels from Bishop, California, to Provincetown, Massachusetts. In the U.S. state of Colorado, US 6 is an east–west highway stretching from Utah to Nebraska. Much of the route overlaps other highways in Colorado, and as a result, much of US 6 is unsigned.

Interstate 70 east-west Interstate across central US

Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to I-695 near Baltimore, Maryland. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky Mountains. West of the Rockies, the route of I-70 was derived from multiple sources. The Interstate runs through or near many major cities, including Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore.

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References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2013-11-02). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 Clayton Fraser; Carl Hallberg (November 27, 1983). "HABS/HAER Inventory: Rifle Bridge / Bridge over Colorado River (state survey no. GA06)". National Park Service . Retrieved April 12, 2019. With accompanying photo from 1983
  3. Apparent in Google maps.