Old Trails Bridge

Bridge over the Colorado River, US

United States historic place


Old Trails Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Old Trails Bridge in September 2002
34°42′57″N 114°29′5″W / 34.71583°N 114.48472°W / 34.71583; -114.48472
Area	0.3 acres (0.12 ha)
Built	1915-16
Built by	Sourwine, S.A.; Et al.
Architectural style	Brace-ribbed through arch
MPS	Vehicular Bridges in Arizona MPS
NRHP reference No.	88001676^[1]
Added to NRHP	September 30, 1988

The Old Trails Bridge is a historic bridge over the Colorado River in San Bernardino County and Mohave County in the United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).^[1] It has also been known as Topock Bridge and as Needles Bridge.^[2]^[3]

Description and history

The bridge carried a now-abandoned section of the former U.S. Route 66 across from southeast of Needles, California to south of Topock, Arizona. It is a brace-ribbed through arch bridge that was built in 1915–1916.^[4] It served as a highway bridge until 1947 when the Red Rock Bridge, formerly a railroad bridge, was modified for highway use. The Old Trails Bridge was later converted to a pipeline bridge.

It was listed on the NRHP on September 30, 1988.^[1]^[4]

The bridge has been seen in a number of blockbuster films including The Grapes of Wrath and Easy Rider.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ "CHS.J3009". digital.denverlibrary.org. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
^ "Old Trails Arch Bridge". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Clayton B. Fraser (April 1, 1987). "HABS/HAER Inventory: Old Trails Bridge / Topock Bridge / Needles Bridge". National Park Service. and accompanying photos