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Show CONTINUATION FROM FRONT SHEET - STRUCTURE NAME LOCATION: Section undetermined State Township County Range 41 S______ VIRGIN RIVER BRIDGE Utah Washington USE: CURRENT INTERIOR VSE (UPS 28 CODE) Original Use Highway bridge Internedlate Uses 10 W_______ Highway bridge PERIOD OF CONSTRUCTION (UPS 28 CODE) OWNERSHIP: Present Owner:Original Owner: v N/A HI NEGATIVE No. HAER No. UT-39-C-1 NFS NFS Intermediate Owner(a)2 NFS ***PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION*** (DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND HISTORY INCLUDING CONSTRUCTION DATE(S), PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS, MATERIALS, MAJOR ALTERATIONS, EXTANT EQUIPMENT, AND IMPORTANT BUILDERS, ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS, ETC.) Chief Ranger, Donal J Jolley, reported in Oct. 1929 that work commenced on the River Bridge, "which when completed will connect the New Zion Mt. Carmel highway with the present Zion road." Construction work on the Bridge had lagged behind due to a change in design and, according to Supt. Scoyen,"the difficulties in arriving at a practical solution of. this problem which will also be satisfactory from the landscape standpoint." The Bridge across the MukuntuweapfVirgin) River was completed late in July 1930. The original River Bridge was 185 feet long, with a 20-foot driveway across the center and a five-foot sidewalk on each side, making a total width of 30 feet. Constructed as a 3 span steel *l" beam structure, it was camouflaged with 54" Redwood slabs to give it a rustic appearance. The spans were supported by two pieces of solid masonry 34 feet high. On December 17, 1959, Park Service personnel commenced removing the sidewalks and enlarging the road surface of the brige. The old curb was. dislodged by cutting and blasting, the edge of the pavement was leveled and the debris removed. Steel reinforcing rods were placed in the 5 1 wide trench on each side of the bridge. Then the gaps were filled with poured concrete and the enlarged road-bed resurfaced. Renovation of the bridge, which spans the Virgin River approximately 2 miles north of the Park administration building, was completed in March I960, The bridge's concrete and "I" beamed roadbed is supported by pitcher-faced, ashlar, sandstone, masonry, piers and abuttments. "Spanning the tops of the piers and imbedded in the masonry, are I 1/2 *x 3 f (approx.) dia. beams which protrude from the piers on both sides. I 1 X 4* fascia beams line the lower sides of the roadbed, 4"X 10" balllstrade, (sic) with 6" X 10" railings imbedded in spaced wood posts, form the guardrails." SIGNIFICANT ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES (INCLUDING INTERIOR AND SETTING) FOR PARK PLANNING PURPOSES: |
