Yuma bridge connects oceans

Ocean to Ocean Bridge

Yuma, Arizona, has always been an important player desert southwest’s transportation system.  That’s because it was considered the safest place to cross the Lower Colorado River. Native Americans and early Spanish explorers crossed the river here.

As transportation evolved from horse-drawn to horse-powered vehicles, travelers needed a new way to cross the Lower Colorado. Enter the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge, so called because it linked the Atlantic and Pacific oceans with a land route through the southern United States.

The bridge, which connects Yuma in the south with Fort Yuma across the river in the north, was built in 1914. At that time, it was the only vehicle bridge crossing for 1,200 miles.

The bridge is still in use today. It was closed for 14 years beginning in 1988, but was restored and reopened in 2002. While the bridge is 336 feet long, it is only one lane wide. Traffic lights t each end control the flow of vehicles across the bridge. 

The bridge is part of the Yuma Crossing National Historic Landmark. Pivot Point Interpretive Plaza and the Quartermaster Depot also are part of this landmark.

 

 

Old locomotive marks Yuma Crossing

Interpretive sign at Pivot Point

Pivot Point is a nice place to relax while learning a bit about the history of Yuma. Located near Old Town Yuma along the Colorado River, the spot commemorates the spot where the first train crossed into Arizona in 1877.

A huge old Southern Pacific locomotive, a 1907 Baldwin, stands on the spot today. A public address system recreates sounds that train engineers and passengers might have heard after crossing. These sounds include the train’s arrival, a passing steamboat and the bridge over the river being cranked open.

Old locomotive at Pivot Point

Part of the original rail line is still on-site. That’s the concrete pivot that was turned to allow boats to pass. Pivot Point Plaza is part of the Yuma Crossing National Historic Landmark.  Nearby is the Yuma Territorial Prison (think “3:10 to Yuma”) and the Ocean to Ocean Highway Bridge, the last link connecting the southwestern transportation system between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Pivot Point Interpretive Plaza, which sits above Gateway Park, is a colorful place to be at night between October 1 and May 31. That’s when the city park puts on a laser light show.  The show goes on hiatus during the summer months because of Yuma’s heat: the lasers need to be chilled to work properly.