The Royal Gorge Bridge is a tourist attraction near CaÃÆ' Â ± on City, Colorado within Royal Gorge Bridge & amp; Park , a 360-hectare amusement park located along the Royal Gorge's edge around the two ends of the bridge. The bridge crosses a 955-foot (291 m) canyon over the Arkansas River and holds the record for the world's tallest bridge from 1929 to 2001 when it was bypassed by the Liuguanghe Bridge in China. The Royal Gorge Bridge maintains the highest suspension bridge predicate in the world until the Beechan Guanxing River Road Bridge was completed in 2003, also in China. This bridge remains the highest bridge in the United States and is one of the ten highest bridges in the world until 2012.
The main span of the bridge between the towers is 880 feet (268 m), the total length is 1,260 feet (384 m), 18 feet (5.5 m) wide and the tower is 150 feet (46 m) high. The basic structure of steel is covered with 1292 wooden boards. Passenger vehicles allowed to cross the bridge, but only before the park attractions are opened or after they close, times depending on the season. Large vehicles, including large trucks, RVs and buses, are not allowed to cross.
The bridge was built in six months between June and November 1929 at a cost of $ 350,000. In 1931, the Incline Railway, or simply Incline (also known as funicular), was added alongside the bridge to reach the bottom of the gorge. In the 1950s, miniature trains were built on the edge of a ravine and an air tram opened in 1969. In the early 1980s, the bridge was renovated with a new cable anchor, suspension rod, and paint. A Skycoaster attraction was added in 2003, with riders being swung at the brink.
In June 2013, forest fires destroyed most of the park and air tram buildings, and damaged the Incline. The bridge is only slightly damaged on the wooden deck and vice versa is not damaged, along with Skycoaster. The park was rebuilt and partly reopened in August 2014. The park has reopened in May 2015 with a new gondola and a new zip-line across the canyon on the east side of the bridge.
Video Royal Gorge Bridge
Construction and location
Construction began on June 5, 1929 and ended in November 1929. The bridge cost $ 350,000 and was built as a tourist attraction, not as a route for transportation purposes. The road to the bridge from Route 50 AS continues on the southern side of the canyon which eventually reconnects with Route 50; however, all visitors must enter and exit through the north park gate. The road on the south bank was blocked shortly above the bridge and all traffic had to reverse direction.
The road to and across the bridge from Route 50 is designated as Fremont County Road 3A and begins about 10 mi (16 km) west of CaÃÆ' Â ± on City. The Royal Gorge Route Railroad runs under a bridge along the base of the Royal Gorge.
Maps Royal Gorge Bridge
Highest bridge
The Royal Gorge Bridge surpassed the Sidi M'Cid Bridge in Algiers in 1929 to become the world's tallest bridge with a 955 ft (291 m) deck height, measured from the deck to the surface of the river below. The Liuguanghe Bridge in China surpassed the Royal Gorge Bridge in 2001 to become the new highest bridge with a deck height of 974 feet (297 m). The Royal Gorge Bridge handed over the highest suspension bridge title in the world when the Beipan River Bridge, Guanxing Highway in China was completed in 2003 with a 1,200ft (366m) deck altitude. Some of the higher bridges, mostly in China, have been completed since 2003 causing the Royal Gorge Bridge out of the top ten bridges in the world. The Royal Gorge Bridge remains the highest bridge in the United States and among the twenty highest bridges in the world; However, some very high additional bridges are scheduled for completion by 2021. If all planned bridges are completed, they will move the Royal Gorge Bridge out of the top twenty spots in the rankings.
Since the end of 2016, the highest bridge is the Beipanjiang Bridge Duge China, which has a fixed-cable range with a deck height of 1,854 feet (565 m). The highest suspension bridge at present is the Chinese Sidu River Bridge which opened in 2009 with a deck height of 1,627 feet (496 m).
History
1929-1950s
The bridge was built between June and November 1929 at a cost of $ 350,000, which is $ 100,000 more than the budget. Adjusting for inflation, the cost to rebuild in 2010 will be more than $ 20 million. The project is funded by Lon P. Piper, president of the Royal Gorge Bridge and Amusement Company of San Antonio, Texas. Piper hired George E. Cole as Chief Engineer and the bridge was completed in about six months without any death or serious injury. The official opening took place on December 8, 1929. Piper agreed to lease twenty years of canyon and surrounding land, owned by CaÃÆ' Â ± on City, paying a $ 1000 annual fee to the city with a $ 500 cost reduction in several years of adversity.
In June 1931, a narrow gauge railway railway was built into the bottom of a cliff through a narrow gap at the western end of the bridge's north.. In August 1931, the first suicide occurred when a man from Pueblo, Colorado jumped off the bridge. In 1937, lighting systems were installed to illuminate bridges and canyon walls.
In 1947, after struggling for years through the Great Depression and World War II, Piper sold bridges and leased rights to a group of Colorado local businessmen and Clint Murchison, a Texan who made a fortune in oil, gas and real estate. An old worker in the park stated that Murchison, who died in 1969, never visited the bridge he bought, even after he became the sole owner.
In the 1950s, the inn was built by the canyons and the Silver Rock Railway 2Ã, ft (span> 610Ã, mm ) with miniature Chance Rides C.P. Huntington's locomotive started walking along the edge of the canyon near the bridge. In 1956, Murchison and the Dallas-based Royal Gorge Bridge Company agreed to pay a percentage of its earnings, not the $ 1,000 annual fee for rent. The percentage arrangements have proven to be highly profitable for the city in subsequent years, allowing to significantly reduce property taxes. Property tax rates have since become the lowest in Colorado.
1960s-1990s
In 1967, an open offer was held for lease rights with several companies expressing interest in the acquisition. The offer was won by the Murchison company, which signed another twenty year contract with the city. The air tram opened in 1969, crossing a ravine to the east of the bridge. Also in 1969, after Murchison's death, his sons, John and Clint, Jr., inherited the bridge and rent.
In 1979, Lucille Murchison, the wife of John Murchison, inherited the bridge and rented after the death of her husband.
Bridges and railways are listed in the National Register of Historic Places on September 2, 1983. Official government registration papers indicate that the city of CaÃÆ' Â ± in the City has been the owner of bridges and railroads at some point since the 1940s, in addition to owning land they rent to the Royal Gorge Bridge Company.
The bridge underwent significant renovations from 1980 to 1984. The new cable anchors and suspension rods were installed and the bridge was repainted. The cost of renovation is more than $ 2.8 million, more than the original purchase price when adjusted for inflation until the 1980s.
In 1984, the Convenience and Recreation Concept , a Dallas-based company, was employed by Murchison to oversee operations at Royal Gorge Bridge and Park.
In July 1998, William Fehr, the owner of a gravel business headquartered in Parkdale at the entrance of the canyon, bought a rail line through a canyon. Sales came after the South Pacific and Union Pacific merged in 1996 and decided to run their train on a better path through northern Colorado. As part of the purchase, and unbeknownst to Fehr at the time, the sale included "air rights" over the lane through the canyon, including the space occupied by the Royal Gorge Bridge. Air rights fees have been negotiated with a railroad company of $ 200 per year since 1929, plus $ 200 per year for the space occupied by the sloping train base. In January 1999, Fehr made an offer to buy all the concessions from the city, because the operating lease of the company would expire in 2001. When the offer was rejected without consideration, Fehr decided to raise the cost for air rights up to $ 750,000. year. The city began to investigate legal procedures to possibly condemn air rights. Finally, the city and Fehr agreed on a permanent place that cost a one time fee of $ 99,000.
21st century
Royal Rush Skycoaster opened on the south side of the canyon in 2003 on the east of the bridge.
In October 2003, during a demonstration of proximity, wingsuiter Dwain Weston was killed while trying to fly over the bridge. Weston wore a winged outfit, skydiving suit with a cloth that extended under the arm to the body and between the legs to catch the air, allowing for a horizontal journey when parachuting. He had to pass the bridge while fellow skydiver Jeb Corliss had to go underneath it. Misjudging distance from the bridge, Weston hit the fence while traveling about 120 mph, severing his leg on the hip. He falls down the ledge in the abyss under a parachute that opens on impact, though it is assumed he is dead.
Between March and May 2012, three people committed suicide by jumping off the bridge. The average number of suicides in the previous twelve years is one per year according to the general manager for the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. As a result of a fee greater than the normal fee incurred in retrieving the corpse, CaÃÆ' Â ± on City is billed by Royal Gorge Express LLCÃ, - the owner of the railway that runs under the bridge - for $ 5,025 for the use of specialized equipment and personnel qualified in recovery. Three suicides occurred on March 6, March 14, and May 8. The third incident required four trips to the canyon, with bodies discovered a week later by river rafter.
wild fire 2013
On June 11, 2013, most of the garden structures on both sides of the canyon were destroyed by man-made wildfires. The fire jumped from the south to the north side of the canyon to the west of the bridge and burned 3,218 hectares (1,302 hectares), of which 2,156 hectares (873 hectares) were property of the park, over the next four days until buried. The bridge only suffered minimal damage with about 100 wooden deck boards of a total of 1292 boards requiring replacement on the south side; However, 48 of the 52 park buildings were destroyed. No visitors, park or animal employees in the wildlife park are wounded or killed by fire. Incline Railway is heavily damaged and aerial tram is destroyed. Park Executive announced on June 13 that the bridge will be repaired and park rebuilt. Rebuilding starts about a week after the fire and demolition of all damaged buildings takes about five months. The groundbreaking ceremony of new visitors is on January 31, 2014.
Re-open the park
The Royal Gorge Bridge and Park reopens on August 30, 2014. The massive reopening ceremony took place on May 8, 2015 after the completion of $ 30 million in repairs. The rebuilding plan did not include the wildlife park and the animals were moved. The entrance of the bridge opens daily from 07:00 to evening with the visitor center, rides and attractions open at 10 am, weather permitting. Attractions that have been refurbished or rebuilt for fire include a visitor center with an observation deck, water clock, gondola to replace the air tram, Plaza Theater and Historical Expo, Playland Kids, and the original Royal Rush Skycoaster. The Cloudscraper Zip Line - the highest in North America - opened on March 28, 2015. The damaged Incline Railway and Silver Rock Railway are not listed among the rides and current attractions.
In January 2016, the Royal Gorge of Colorado Company paid $ 2.1 million in cash for rent. Attendance in 2015 is the highest in park history in nearly 350,000 visitors. Attendance figures represent a 20% increase of the attendance of approximately 292,000 in 2012, the last full year of operation before the 2013 fire. For the 2013 season the city was paid $ 1.68 million by the park's operating company, mostly from business continuity insurance. Park officials estimate after the fire that more than 26 million people have visited the park since it opened in 1929.
Gallery
See also
- List of Historic Historic Places of Interest in Fremont County, Colorado
- List of bridges in the United States by height
Note
References
External links
Media linked to Royal Gorge Bridge on Wikimedia Commons
- Royal Gorge Bridge & amp; Park
- The Royal Gorge Bridge at Structurae
- The Royal Gorge Bridge at HighestBridges.com
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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