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 Costilla Crossing Bridge - Conejos County, CO
N 37° 04.727 W 105° 45.420
13S E 432714 N 4103879
This span across the Rio Grande is one of only 3 Thatcher truss bridges in the country and one of the oldest vehicular crossings in Colorado. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Waymark Code: WMGVJE
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 04/12/2013
Views: 3
Edwin Thatcher, Chief Engineer of the Keystone Bridge Company, patented a namesake truss in 1884. An innovative structural type, it never quite caught on.... With perhaps 30-40 ever built in the country, only three are known to exist today, including the Costilla Crossing Bridge. This bridge is historically significant as the oldest vehicular truss in southern Colorado and one of the oldest in the state, the oldest still-functioning State Bridge, one of the few bridges left in Colorado with iron components and one of only two roadway bridges in the survey erected by Wrought Iron Bridge before that firm was absorbed to form the gargantuan American Bridge Company. In absolutely pristine condition, the Costilla Crossing Bridge is one of the last of its type - the state's most technilogically significant vehicular bridge.
Excerpt from the Costilla Crossing Bridge NRHP Nomination Form [visit link]
In February of 1892 the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio was awarded a contract to construct a bridge at the Costilla Crossing of the Rio Grande River. By the end of August, the company finished a 300-foot long, two-span Thatcher truss, constructed out of wrought and cast iron and steel. At the time it was one of the most important crossings in southern Colorado. Located in a remote area between Conejos and Costilla counties, the bridge is in excellent condition and is open to one-lane traffic.
Source: National Register of Historic Places, Bridgehunter.com
County / Borough / Parish: Conejos County
Year listed: 1985
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1875-1899
Historic function: Transportation
Current function: Transportation
Privately owned?: no
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Street address: Not listed
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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