Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

While building the new Mill Ave Bridge a big flood occurred.
One flood wiped out all the bridges over the Salt RFiver in the valley except for the original Mill Ave bridge, the rail bridge next to it and the old Central Ave bridge. Even the I10 bridge failed and was closed.
The community started having trains run commuters across the rail bridge in trains until the bridges that were destroyed were restored.
It was interesting only the old original bridges survived, I attribute it to the people who built them actually knew the river was powerful and in some places actually a mile wide vs what most tourists see just a small part of the channel. The flood also closed the south runway of Sky Harbor.

NMGal Loc: NE NM

Maybe they just built them better back then. Simple as opposed to complicated architecture.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I remember this well. Part of the success of the Mill Ave Bridge was that it was anchored to bedrock. The others weren't. Fortunately, I worked and lived south of the river. My commute was about 10 minutes each way.
--Bob

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Me too. Lived in Mesa and went to school at ASU and worked part time at Tempe Camera.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

Nice series / recordings. Not only is OLD better quality, it's also better looking, makes for better photos.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Actually they did a very good job with the new Mill Ave bridge making it fit in with the original.
No, not a copy but a good compliment to the original design.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

--Bob

Quixdraw Loc: x

Some things never change, Mom used to tell about the new WPA bridge built when she was a girl that not only failed, but took a pair of ancient bridges along when it went.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

OMG Great catastrophe shots
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Architect1776, do you remember the Frank Kush Expressway, as it was affectionately called?
--Bob

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

I remember Kush and the event causing him to leave.
I left the state in 1971 (Glendale, AZ) to serve and did not come back until 1988 Mesa for a couple of years then Gilbert before I moved to Sparks, NV.
I do not recall the Frank Kush Expressway moniker.
Please enlighten me as I would like to know.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

I worked for structural engineers for over 40 years. One of them once told me that in the "old days" building elements were sometimes designed by "rule of thumb" rather than by detailed calculations used today. They would sometimes add a foot of thickness to foundation walls for every so many stories in height often leading to buildings that were over designed.

I believe he said some tall buildings in Chicago had foundation walls that were 12 feet thick.

Of course that would only make sense if the walls sitting on those foundations were load bearing walls. As time went on most of those buildings would have been steel framed and most of the load from the structure would be supported by column footings...not foundation walls.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

You are correct, most were overdesigned due to limited understanding of strength of materials.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

It appears that you captured a portion of it in your first photograph. There was a strip of asphalt laid down in the riverbed that conducted northbound Mill Ave traffic. The bridge was one-way southbound. Each winter, storms would flood the river and traffic was two-way on the bridge. Winter storms would wash away, or at best render the strip unusable. It would remain like that for the remainder of winter and most of the summer. Sometime right before the start of the football season the pavement would be replaced and painted. Once again traffic was southbound on the bridge and northbound through the riverbed.

Due to the coincidence of the roadway being replaced right before the football season, it was quite unofficially christened "The Frank Kush Expressway". This was not a complimentary monicker. However, the practice continued for some years. The northbound bridge was intended to replace that roadway.

Tragically one year, during the delay of replacement, some lady on a bicycle was struck by a car and killed while attempting to cross the bridge. There was a lawsuit filed by her parents which focused on the negligence of the city to replace the asphalt in a timely manner. I don't know the results of the suit.
--Bob

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Thx
I do remember the one way bridge and the road in the riverbed being the other way.
PS, did you know that salmon ran the river and my father remembers it being marshy.