DryHeatBlog Rio Puerco Bridge is a steel guardian of The Mother Road
Originally constructed in 1933, the Rio Puerco Bridge stands guard over this section of Historic Route 66 in New Mexico. It is no longer accessible by automobile but I-40 is a mere stone’s throw away. The interstate is certainly a safer method of crossing the river.
The Rio Puerco Bridge is a Parker Through Truss style bridge and was fabricated by the Kansas City Structural Steel Company. The bridge is 250 feet in length, making it one of the longest bridges of its type in New Mexico.
In 1957 the Rio Puerco Bridge underwent major renovations but the structure was replaced by I-40 in 1999. There is no way that this historic little bridge could accommodate the traffic currently traveling on 1-40. It’s hard to imagine a present day semi truck being able to cross this bridge.
Today the Rio Puerco Bridge is being preserved by the New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department.
The Rio Puerco Bridge is located about 20 miles west of Albuquerque off I-40. It is less than a mile east of the Route 66 Casino.
These photos were shot January 12, 2019.
[…] weekend, Johnpaul and I went on a little photo-adventure to the Rio Puerco Bridge which is out on Historic Route 66 west of Albuquerque. From there, we decided to take Hwy 6 back to […]
[…] elected Justice Of The Peace. As such, Bud proclaimed himself the “Law West of the Rio Puerco” and did not hesitate to push his weight around whenever it suited him to do […]