Miles Glacier Bridge
Miles Glacier Bridge | |
|---|---|
Miles Glacier Bridge in 2008. The far left span as seen in this photo shows the repairs performed in 2004. | |
| Coordinates | 60°40′22″N 144°44′45″W / 60.6729°N 144.7458°W |
| Carries | road bridge |
| Crosses | Copper River |
| Locale | Cordova, Alaska |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | through Pennsylvania (Petit) truss bridge |
| Material | Steel and concrete |
| Total length | 1,550 feet (470 m) |
| No. of spans | 4 |
| Piers in water | 3 |
| History | |
| Construction start | 1909 |
| Construction end | 1910 |
Million Dollar Bridge | |
Damage done by the earthquake, with the temporary fixes performed to make the bridge usable | |
| Location | Mile 48 of Copper River Highway, about 35 miles (56 km) northeast of Cordova |
| Coordinates | 60°40′23″N 144°44′45″W / 60.6731°N 144.74583°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1910 |
| Built by | Katalla Corporation; Carnegie Steel Company; American Bridge Company |
| Architect | A.C. O'Neel; Erastus Corning Hawkins; |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000293 |
| AHRS No. | COR-00005 |
| Added to NRHP | March 31, 2000 |
| Location | |
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The Miles Glacier Bridge, also known as the Million Dollar Bridge, was built in the early 1900s across the Copper River fifty miles from Cordova in what is now the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a multiple-span Pennsylvania truss bridge which completed a 196-mile (315 km) railroad line for the Copper River and Northwestern Railway, built by J. P. Morgan and the Guggenheim family to haul copper from the old mining town of Kennicott, now located within the Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve, to the port of Cordova. It earned its nickname because of its $1.4 million cost, well recouped by the about $200 million worth of copper ore which was shipped as a result of its construction.: 175
Current access to the bridge is limited to jet boat travel up the Copper River or boat travel downriver from Chitina due to the erosion along the Copper River Highway, and there is currently no access by road. The cost of repairs has prevented necessary maintenance albeit Miles Glacier bridge remains an attraction for tourists.