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Historic Winkelman Bridge, designed by Daniel Luten and constructed in 1916, is owned by the Town of Winkelman. It was rehabilitated in 1999 by rehabilitation engineer Jerry A. Cannon and rededicated in 2016.
In 1916, Pinal County decided to build a 419 foot long bridge over the Gila River at Winkelman. Since the bridge would be in both Pinal and Gila counties, an agreement was reached that each County would pay for half of the bridge cost. Topeka Bridge and Iron Company was the low bidder and built both the Winkelman and the Kelvin multi-span reinforced concrete arch bridges which were designed by Daniel Luten, a nationally known bridge designer. Daniel Luten’s structure type with its unique and distinctive horseshoe arch profile, was patented in 1900.
Celebrating the bridge restoration
The design of the 419-foot long bridge included long-span reinforced concrete arches. The structure is unique as it is founded on timber piles. Despite many delays caused by flooding of the Gila River during construction, the bridge was completed in November, 1916.
Because of the relatively high cost of multi-span Luten arches they were infrequently constructed. There were 13 Luten arch bridges built in Arizona, from 1913- 1923, of which three are multi-span bridges. Only two remain in Winkelman and Clifton.
The Winkelman Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 30, 1988. This magnificent bridge was restored by the Town with grant funding from Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) through an (ISTEA) grant. The restoration took 10 years to complete, from 1989 through 1999, with additional funding, support and assistance from Pinal and Gila Counties.
Winkleman and its citizens are very proud of this bridge which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 for its importance as a vital local transportation route, and technologically as a representation of a proprietary structure type as a multi-span Luten arch bridge. All of which made it important to the community it serves and the State of Arizona to preserve the bridge for future generations to experience and appreciate the past. The bridge was rededicated after 100 years of service and is now a pedestrian bridge serving as a setting for community events.
The Town of Winkelman will be celebrating the Centennial of the Historic Bridge on Saturday, Oct. 15, starting at 12:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. The event will take place on the Bridge off of Quarrelli Street in Winkelman. Everyone is welcome. Bring your own lawn chair.
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