| McPhaul Suspension Bridge | |
| Nrhp Type: | NRHP |
| Coordinates: | 32.7594°N -114.4206°W |
| Map Label: | McPhaul Suspension Bridge |
| Label Width: | 25 |
| Built: | 1929 |
| Builder: | Levy Construction Co. |
| Engineer: | Ralph Modjeski (Consulting Engineer) |
| Added: | August 13, 1981 |
| Area: | 0.4acres |
| Mpsub: | Vehicular Bridges in Arizona MPS |
| Refnum: | 81000140 |
The McPhaul Suspension Bridge, sometimes known as Yuma, Arizona's Bridge to Nowhere,[1] is a suspension bridge that used to carry a section of Arizona Route 95 (AZ SR 95, which later became US 95). The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge, which was named for local Yuma resident Henry Harrison McPhaul, was built over the Gila River in 1929 and replaced in 1968 when it was deemed insufficient for modern transportation needs. At only 16 feet wide, the bridge was too narrow for a US numbered highway (in fact, even when built in 1929 it would have been too narrow, as the US highway system required two 9 foot lanes). A dam and replacement bridge were built and the river was rerouted.[2]
The bridge is 1184feet long in total, with a deck width of 16 feet (4.9 m). Its main span is a 798feet Warren-type pony truss bridge suspended by cables from rocker type towers. The span is held by two steel cables 5.75inches in diameter and 1300.7feet long. It has two approach spans, 57feet and 114feet long, and approach roadways 140feet and 75feet long.[3]