[Illustration: Bridge]
Bridges were among the first essentials at Glen Canyon damsite. The
vertical walls of the Canyon rise about 700 feet above the river. The
distance from rim to rim is only 1,200 feet in a straight line, but it
is about 190 miles by road.
The Glen Canyon Bridge, a spectacular rim-to-rim highway, spans the
canyon immediately downstream from the dam. It is the highest and
second-longest steel arch bridge in the United States; its 1,028 foot
arch stands 700 feet above the river. The deck is 1,271 feet long. The
roadway is 30 feet wide and is paralleled by 4-foot sidewalks. The
bridge was dedicated and opened to public use on February 20, 1959.
Materials and equipment are transported to the canyon floor by
highlines--heavy cableways stretched between towers, two on each rim.
Loads of 50 tons are lowered from them on pendant hooks.