Otowi Suspension Bridge - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Note : the bridge is located on San Isabel tribal land and is not accessible but can be safely viewed from the highway right of way.

The Otowi Suspension Bridge was completed over the Rio Grande in 1924. The bridge has a 194-foot span and 10-foot wide timber roadway. A concrete tower was erected at each end to support the cables. Timber stiffening trusses were installed along each side of the roadway representing a major engineering improvement over other suspension bridges constructed in New Mexico.

The Otowi Suspension Bridge was built just upstream from an existing railroad bridge which was used by vehicular traffic when trains were not in sight prior to the construction of the suspension bridge. The new suspension bridge provided unimproved access to the Los Alamos Ranch School and was used to move lumber, sheep and cattle across the Rio Grande. The bridge was also used to carry equipment and materials to government facilities for developing the atomic bomb at Los Alamos. The site of the diner operated by Edith Warner and visited by Robert Oppenheimer, Niels Bohr and other scientists during the early days of atomic research at Los Alamos is located on the west side of the Rio Grande at the bridge.

The Otowi Suspension Bridge was designed by the New Mexico State Highway Engineer James A,. French. Construction was supervised by Lee W. Campbell and the Kansas City Structural Steel Company is known to have supplied at least part of the required materials. The Otowi Bridge was a major engineering achievement for the State Highway Department for the 1920s and it was featured on the cover of the September 1924 issue of the New Mexico Highway journal.

The suspension bridge was by-passed in 1948 when a new steel truss bridge was completed near the site.* The suspension bridge was left in place as a convenient crossing for livestock but it is now unsafe due to the deteriorated condition of its deck. The Otowi Suspension Bridge is the only remaining example of an "engineered" suspension bridge in New Mexico. The site of the bridge and Edith Warner's diner and residence have been included on the national Register of Historic Places.

County / Borough / Parish: Santa Fe Year listed: 1997 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event Periods of significance: 1900-1924, 1925-1949, 1950-1974 Historic function: Transportation Current function: Pedestrian Related Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Street address: Not listed Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 1: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/11/2010 dingo262 visited it 12/05/2004 Mesa Mike visited it

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