 Million Dollar Bridge prior to repairs The Million Dollar Bridge, more formally known as the Miles Glacier Bridge, was built in the early 1900s fifty miles from Cordova in what is now the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a cantilever bridge which completed a 315 km (196 mile) railroad line for the Copper River and Northwestern Railway, built by J. P. Morgan and the Guggenheim family to haul copper from the old mining town of Kennicott, now located within the Wrangell - St Elias National Park and Preserve, to the port of Cordova, Alaska. It earned its nickname because of its $1.4 million cost, well recouped by the about $200 million worth of copper ore which was shipped as a result of its construction. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1050x709, 143 KB)Million Dollar Bridge in Alaska source This image is a work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, taken or made during the course of an employees official duties. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1050x709, 143 KB)Million Dollar Bridge in Alaska source This image is a work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, taken or made during the course of an employees official duties. ...
Cordova is a small city located near the mouth of the Copper River in Alaska, at the head of Orca Inlet on the east side of Prince William Sound. ...
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Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area Ranked 1st - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²) - Width 808 miles (1,300 km) - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km) - % water 13. ...
The cantilevered beam (green) projects out into space from its supports (blue). ...
This article is about the edifice (including an index to articles on specific bridge types). ...
The Copper River and Northwestern Railway was a railroad built by the Kennecott Corporation between 1907 and 1911 to take copper ore from Kennicott, Alaska to Cordova, Alaska, a distance of 315 km (196 miles). ...
J. P. Morgan John Pierpont Morgan I (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and banker, who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation. ...
The Guggenheim family refers to a number of descendants of Meyer Guggenheim who were known for their successes in mining and smelting, and later for their philanthropy in diverse areas such as modern art and aviation. ...
Kennicott is an abandoned town in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska that was the center of activity for several copper mines. ...
Established in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, Wrangell-St. ...
Cordova is a small city located near the mouth of the Copper River in Alaska, at the head of Orca Inlet on the east side of Prince William Sound. ...
// A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or things real name (for example, Bob, Rob, Robby, Robbie, Robi, Bobby, Rab, Bert, Bertie, Butch, Bobbers, Bobert, Beto, Bobadito, and Robban (in Sweden), are all short for Robert). ...
For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ...
Work began in the 1950s to convert the old railbed, shut down in 1938, to a road. This work was halted when the bridge, and much of the highway under construction, was damaged by the Good Friday Earthquake. Fourth Avenue, Anchorage The Good Friday Earthquake (also called the Great Alaska Earthquake) of Friday, March 27, 1964, 5:36 P.M. ADT (03:36 3/28 UTC) was the second most powerful earthquake in U.S. and North American history after magnitude 9. ...
Temporary repairs, consisting of a rudimentary system of cables, I-beams, and planks, kept the bridge passable. Only about 10 miles of four wheel drive road had been constructed at the other side of the bridge before the earthquake. For most motorists, the bridge is the end of the road. Unlike the Gravina Island Bridge and the Knik Arm Bridge, this is a true "bridge to nowhere." The Gravina Island Bridge is a proposed $315 million bridge to replace the ferry that currently connects Ketchikan, Alaska (population 8,000) to developable land on Gravina Island and improve access to Ketchikan International Airport. ...
The Knik Arm Bridge is the name of a proposed bridge to cross the Knik Arm portion of Cook Inlet, north of Anchorage, Alaska. ...
The bridge was permanently repaired starting in 2004, and the repaired bridge dedicated in August 2005. The controversial decision was made to repair it after a flood in September 1995 made an eventual washout inevitable. State engineers determined that it was less expensive to repair the bridge than it would be to remove it, or (in a worst case scenario) clean up if the bridge completely collapsed into the river. Such a cleanup would have been required due to the Copper River salmon runs. Copper River may refer to: The Copper River in Alaska in the United States. ...
Some people hope that the repaired bridge will lead to resumption of construction of the Copper River Highway linking Cordova with the Alaska road system at Chitina. Others fear this to be the case. The population of Cordova is evenly divided on the subject. As of early 2006, no decision has been made. Alaska Route 10 is the number given to two unconnected highways in the U.S. state of Alaska: the Copper River and Edgerton highways. ...
Cordova is a small city located near the mouth of the Copper River in Alaska, at the head of Orca Inlet on the east side of Prince William Sound. ...
Chitina is a census-designated place located in Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska. ...
Cordova is a small city located near the mouth of the Copper River in Alaska, at the head of Orca Inlet on the east side of Prince William Sound. ...
Timeline
- 1907–1911 The railroad and bridges were built.
- 1938 Its use as a railroad bridge ends.
- 1958 Bridge converted for motor vehicle traffic.
- 1964 One span of the nearly-1600' bridge slipped off its foundation after the Good Friday Earthquake.
- 1995 Flooding in September causes further damage, and raises the possibility of a washout that would deposit debris on Miles Glacier and harm the Copper River salmon run.
- 2000 The bridge is placed [1] on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 2004 Repairs costing $16 million in federal and $3 million in state tax dollars begin. "I don't get it," said former Cordova Mayor Kelly Weaverling. "I hear we're going to have cut old folks homes and start taxing people in this state, and we're blowing millions of dollars on a bridge that's going to go nowhere. I think it's an incredible waste of money." [2]
- 2005 Repairs completed, and bridge re-dedicated in August.
Fourth Avenue, Anchorage The Good Friday Earthquake (also called the Great Alaska Earthquake) of Friday, March 27, 1964, 5:36 P.M. ADT (03:36 3/28 UTC) was the second most powerful earthquake in U.S. and North American history after magnitude 9. ...
Miles Glacier is a 30 miles long glacier in Alaska. ...
Copper River may refer to: The Copper River in Alaska in the United States. ...
The National Register of Historic Places is the USAs official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects worthy of preservation. ...
External links - 1911 newspaper article about the Kenicott-Cordova line
- 1985 article from the Alaska Science Forum
- 2002 article from the Alaska Science Forum
- A panoramic image of the bridge, probably taken in the 1920s
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