Rio Grande Railroad Viaduct

Rio Grande Railroad Viaduct. . , Paving the Way , The Rio Grande Railroad Viaduct helped bring the world to the Royal Gorge., "The opening of the new bridge is hailed with joy by Florence," wrote the Florence Daily Record on July 14, 1931, as the first autos crossed the span. Soaring 24 feet above the tracks of the Denver and Rio Grande Western, the viaduct advanced U.S. 50's transformation into a modern, paved highway, one capable of accommodating the hordes of travelers flocking to the Royal Gorge Bridge., The scenic Royal Gorge span opened in 1930 about 25 miles from here and immediately became a national tourist sensation. Improvements to U.S. 50 began in earnest, and by 1932 the highway was paved most of the way from Pueblo to Salida. The upgrades helped Colorado capitalize on the Royal Gorge's popularity, and helped make tourism a permanent staple of Colorado's economy., Up and Over , The bridge eliminated one of Colorado's most dangerous railroad crossings., State highway inspector R.S. Tilson declared the new bridge "a perfect bit of construction work" boasting "the best lines of any bridge in the state." Designed by engineers from the Colorado Department of Highways, the concrete T-beam structure employed an unusual bit of engineering cantilevered girders to extend its length. With seven deck spans and an overall length of 262 feet, the viaduct routed motorists up and over the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad tracks. It replaced a hazardous intersection plagued by clouds of dust in dry weather and deep mud in snow or rain., Photo captions: , Left middle: Colorado 'spent more funds on highway construction in 1931 than in any previous year. , Left bottom: Bridge construction began in the late winter of 1931... , Middle bottom: and was completed in time for a mid-July opening. , Right middle: Cantilevering made longer spans possible. , Bottom right map: U.S. 50 gained about 80 miles of new pavement in 1931 (shown in red stripes on this 1932 state highway map).