Remembering the (new) Navajo Bridge dedication 30 years ago

Yes, it can be challenging to recall days and events in one's life. But I do remember Sept. 14, 1995. It was the day when the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Navajo Nation and other entities held a dedication for what was the brand new Navajo Bridge carrying US 89A over the Colorado River and across the famed Marble Canyon.

And now, decades later, we're also relaying the story of a series of photos taken to create a panoramic view from the day the dedication took place. More on that in a moment.

It turns out I was there that day, working as a reporter for KTAR Radio, to send stories about the big event back to Phoenix. ADOT had promoted the festivities, and I was dispatched to northeastern Arizona and the Navajo Bridge. Or I should say bridges, since the modern structure was built next to the original one. The retired bridge, dating back to 1929, had started its new role as a pedestrian crossing.

I had time to walk across and back on the old bridge before the ceremony was scheduled to start, taking in the awe-inspiring view of the river and canyon.

Meanwhile, Ed Green didn't know exactly what the day had in store for him. Green, who worked for ADOT's environmental planning group 30 years ago and still works for ADOT after 64 years, was tasked with setting up the public address system for the "State's dedication."

"I was doing a test of the system - it was still early, when someone from the Navajo Nation came over and asked if I could bring the equipment over for the Nation's separate dedication on the other end of the bridge," recalls Green. "So I took things down, including speakers, and provided sound for that earlier dedication. And it timed out that I got things set up again for ADOT's ceremony."

There were speeches by dignitaries, including Gov. Fife Symington and Navajo President Albert Hale. There was a blessing. And a bucket attached to a rope was hoisted from below the new bridge, allowing a christening of the structure using Colorado River water.

And about the panoramic set of photos taken that day (a portion of that view is shown above, and you can see the full image here). Ed Green says the photographer was Jim Rindone, at the time an ADOT environmental planner who also had a long career with the agency. Ed and Jim teamed up to arrange individual photos that created this panoramic view of the Navajo Bridge on that dedication day. And fortunately, it hasn't been lost to time. Ed Green keeps it with other items that help document ADOT's history.

Green recalls getting to know Jerry Cannon, the designer of the new Navajo bridge. "We joked about how my testing of the P.A. system woke him up at the nearby motel," says Green. "An interesting part of the bridge's story is that Jerry Cannon spent quite a bit of time at Marble Canyon looking for another location to place the structure. But at the end of the day, the best spot wound up being in the same area of the original crossing."

As for me? After the speeches were done and the Navajo Bridge was christened, I walked up to the historic Marble Canyon Lodge and used a pay phone to call in a couple of stories to KTAR. And truth be told, I had no idea on that day that I'd wind up starting my own career at ADOT in less than a year's time. Thirty years ago? A day that created nice memories of one of our great landmarks.

Back To ADOT Blog