Ocean To Ocean Bridge, Steel bridge across Colorado River in Yuma County, United States.
The Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge is a steel through truss bridge over the Colorado River in Yuma, Arizona, combining a Pennsylvania truss main span of 336 ft (102 m) with a Warren deck truss second span, both on concrete piers and abutments.
The bridge opened in 1915 as the first highway crossing of the lower Colorado River, following legislation initiated by Representative Carl Hayden. This project was critical for opening the Yuma region to trade and allowed easier movement of people and goods eastward.
The name comes from the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, the transcontinental route the bridge carried from 1915. In 1926 it became part of US 80, the main east-west highway in Arizona. During the 1930s California state police used the span to turn back Dust Bowl refugees from Oklahoma, many of whom settled near Yuma and worked on local farms.
Access the bridge from Penitentiary Avenue, with parking available at the nearby Yuma Crossing Park. The best time to visit is early morning or late afternoon when light conditions are favorable for viewing the structure.
The bridge's 336-foot Pennsylvania truss span was built on barges and floated down the Colorado, then swung into place on March 3, 1915, after floods twice washed away the falsework. It is the only Pennsylvania truss in Arizona.
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