Navajo Bridges, Steel arch bridge complex near Marble Canyon, USA

Navajo Bridge consists of two parallel steel spandrel arch bridges over the Colorado River in Marble Canyon. Each has a shallow arch rising from the canyon rims to support a flat deck; the steelwork forms repeated triangles and lattice bracing. The 1929 span is 834 feet long with an 18-foot roadway, while the 1995 span is 909 feet long with a 44-foot roadway.

The first crossing opened in 1929 to replace a ferry that had operated at this spot since 1873. A second structure opened in 1995 to accommodate growing traffic volumes.

The eastern landing of both spans stands on the Navajo Nation, which is why the Arizona legislature renamed the crossing Navajo Bridge in 1934, five years after it was dedicated as Grand Canyon Bridge. The older steel span now carries pedestrians and riders rather than cars, and since 1996 California condors released nearby have been seen perching on and soaring around the girders.

A small visitor center along Highway 89A provides parking and panels about the surrounding geology. Pedestrians can walk onto the older span to photograph the river and canyon below.

California condors were reintroduced to the area in 1996 and are sometimes seen perched on or soaring around the steelwork of Navajo Bridge. The birds, among the largest in North America, draw watchers to the deck of the older span.