The Elgin Bridge is still standing. But for how long is anyone’s guess.
Last year, the Patagonia Regional Times reported that the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Historic Preservation Team had stepped in to request the bridge be reevaluated in light of a 2027 demolition and replacement schedule. That decision came after Elgin resident Sue Downing made the team aware of the bridge’s historical significance.
According to Downing’s research, the bridge was built in 1922 at a cost of $8,000. County engineer J.W. Larimore provided the plans and local contractors Frank Lown and Tom Wood supplied the labor. Those are the same contractors who were used in the construction of the South River Road Bridge outside Nogales, the only bridge in the county included on the National Register of Historic Places.
Also known as the Babocomari Creek Bridge, the span allows for a connection from Elgin Road northward to U.S. Highway 82. The Warren pony truss with alternating verticals is 64 feet in length with a span length of 61.7 feet.
In the reevaluation, the bridge received a score of 47 out of 100 on the Arizona Historic Bridge Inventory, which identifies, documents and evaluates bridges across the state for historic significance. That was more than double the score of 20 received in 2009, when a different company conducted the assessment.
This recent assessment, completed by HDR Inc., makes the bridge potentially eligible for the National Register. HDR is a global architectural and engineering firm based in Omaha, Nebraska. The previous evaluation was completed by FRASERdesign of Loveland, Colorado.
“The Fraser bridge evaluation did not provide a breakdown of the points assigned, so we’re unsure how the bridge received a 20,” Garin Groff, public information officer for the Arizona Department of Transportation, said. “HDR’s architectural historian used Fraser’s original scoring system to determine the current score.”
Historical significance is a central component of the inventory. In a letter to then Santa Cruz County Public Works Director Leonard Fontes Jr., Daniel Lizarraga of HDR noted that the new score makes it “subjective as to whether or not the bridge should be eligible (for the National Register of Historic Places).”
According to Groff, that distinction does not guarantee that the bridge would survive.
“Many historic structures are removed due to safety and operational concerns and replaced with new bridges,” Groff said. He pointed to the recent removal of the Pinto Creek Bridge and the pending removal of the Queen Creek Bridge, both on US Route 60.
HDR is currently finalizing the reevaluation of the historical status, which will include a public meeting.
However, HDR’s analysis is not focused on obtaining a National Register designation. Rather, HDR’s engineering team will “proceed with the conclusion that the bridge should be considered eligible and documented using HAER documentation to mitigate the adverse effects,” Lizarraga wrote, referring to the Historic American Engineering Record, which records America’s engineering and industrial heritage.
“Adverse effects” can include anything from incomplete documentation that leads to loss of historical context to the impact that demolition of the bridge and subsequent construction schedule would have on residents.
HDR is completing an alternatives analysis to determine whether there is a feasible/prudent alternative to replacing the bridge by investigating three options: doing nothing; constructing a bridge at a new location/alignment; or rehabilitating the existing bridge. The analysis will take three months.
Bridge engineer Jerry Cannon, who worked on the 1999 Elgin bridge upgrade, said that of the three alternatives proposed by the HDR team, he believes the construction of a bridge on a new location and with a new alignment makes the most sense.
“Do nothing is not a good option,” Cannon said, adding that rehabilitating the existing bridge to accommodate contemporary traffic while maintaining historical integrity would be very difficult.
“They just need to put a new bridge in there and leave the old one alone,” Cannon said. “Make it (the Elgin bridge) a pedestrian bridge.”
Downing is all for that. She has spent countless hours researching the bridge and campaigning for its preservation. In 2022, ADOT put a call out for projects that could be eligible for federal funds through the Off-System Bridge Program. Santa Cruz County applied and the application was accepted with $3.9 million available for Elgin Bridge replacement.
However, at this point, Downing believes a new bridge at a different location is the best solution. Her hope is that the old bridge, which, according to her research, dates to 1922, will be the centerpiece of a “pocket park.”
“These parks serve as a natural, relaxed setting that highlight adjacent historical landmarks,” Downing said. Adding a few parking spaces, picnic tables and interpretive signs would not only enhance historical understanding of the area but also foster community identity, she says.
Constructing a new bridge would leave a major question to be answered: Where could it be built?
It’s a simple question with no easy answer. According to the county assessor’s records, roughly 32 acres around the Elgin Bridge, including the railroad section house, are owned by Patricia L. Lareau. However, Lareau died two years ago in Apache Junction and it is not clear who may have inherited the property.
When asked whether any of the $3.9 million could be used in the purchase of property for a new bridge, Groff confirmed that a small portion of the grant is set aside for right-of-way purchases.