Million Dollar Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Miles Glacier Bridge, also known as the Million Dollar Bridge, was built in the early 1900s, across the Copper River
fifty miles from Cordova
in what is now the U.S. state
of Alaska
. It is a multiple-span Pennsylvania truss bridge
which completed a 196 miles (315.4 km) 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. 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.
and associated bridges were built between 1906 and 1911. This bridge was the most significant of the group. However, its use as a railroad bridge ended in 1938 when the Copper River and Northwestern Railway shut down.
Work to convert the old rail bed to a road
began in the 1950s, and was completed in 1958. The over-all work was halted when the bridge, and much of the highway under construction, was damaged by the 1964 Alaska earthquake. One of the bridge spans slipped off its foundation after the earthquake.
The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2000.
The bridge was permanently repaired starting in 2004, and the repaired bridge was dedicated in August 2005. The controversial decision was made to repair it after a severe September 1995 flood caused the bridge to be impassable and also made an eventual washout of debris onto Childs Glacier 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.
The repairs cost $16 million in federal and $3 million in state tax dollars. "I don't get it," said former Cordova Mayor Kelly Weaverling. "I hear we're going to have to 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."
Copper River
Copper River may refer to:*Copper River , in the United States.*Copper River , in the United States.*Copper River , a tributary of the Skeena River in Canada....
fifty miles from Cordova
Cordova, Alaska
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,454 people, 958 households, and 597 families residing in the city. The population density was 40.0 per square mile . There are 1,099 housing units at an average density of 17.9 per square mile...
in what is now the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. It is a multiple-span Pennsylvania truss bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
which completed a 196 miles (315.4 km) railroad line for the Copper River and Northwestern Railway
Copper River and Northwestern Railway
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 . The railroad was built by thousands of workers, who laid tracks around glaciers, across canyons and...
, built by J. P. Morgan
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...
and the Guggenheim family
Guggenheim family
The Guggenheim family is an American family, of Swiss Jewish ancestry. Beginning with Meyer Guggenheim, who arrived in America in 1847, the family were known for their global successes in mining and smelting . During the 19th century, the family possessed one of the largest fortunes in the world...
to haul copper from the old mining town of Kennicott
Kennicott, Alaska
Kennecott, also known as Kennecott Mines or AHRS Site No. XMC-001, is an abandoned mining camp in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska that was the center of activity for several copper mines. It is located beside the Kennicott Glacier, northeast of Valdez, inside Wrangell-St....
, now located within the Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve, to the port of Cordova. It earned its nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
because of its $1.4 million cost, well recouped by the about $200 million worth of copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
ore which was shipped as a result of its construction.
History
The Copper River and Northwestern RailwayCopper River and Northwestern Railway
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 . The railroad was built by thousands of workers, who laid tracks around glaciers, across canyons and...
and associated bridges were built between 1906 and 1911. This bridge was the most significant of the group. However, its use as a railroad bridge ended in 1938 when the Copper River and Northwestern Railway shut down.
Copper River Highway
The Copper River Highway extends from Cordova along the old railbed of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. Construction began in 1945, and was originally intended to link Cordova with the state highway system at Chitina. The Million Dollar Bridge, which had carried trains until the CR&NW...
began in the 1950s, and was completed in 1958. The over-all work was halted when the bridge, and much of the highway under construction, was damaged by the 1964 Alaska earthquake. One of the bridge spans slipped off its foundation after the earthquake.
The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2000.
Repairs
Temporary repairs, consisting of a rudimentary system of cables, I-beams, and planks, kept the bridge passable. Only about 10 miles (16.1 km) of four-wheel-drive road had been constructed at the other side of the bridge before the earthquake. Therefore, for two-wheel-drive motorists, the bridge is the end of the road.The bridge was permanently repaired starting in 2004, and the repaired bridge was dedicated in August 2005. The controversial decision was made to repair it after a severe September 1995 flood caused the bridge to be impassable and also made an eventual washout of debris onto Childs Glacier 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
Copper River (Alaska)
The Copper River or Ahtna River is a 300-mile river in south-central Alaska in the United States. It drains a large region of the Wrangell Mountains and Chugach Mountains into the Gulf of Alaska...
salmon runs.
The repairs cost $16 million in federal and $3 million in state tax dollars. "I don't get it," said former Cordova Mayor Kelly Weaverling. "I hear we're going to have to 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."