¡Colores!; Bridging the Gorge; 802; Spanning the High Desert: New Mexico's Historic Highway Bridges; Bridges: Film

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... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... The bridge deck was originally designed as an open grid, but this had to be changed for several reasons. The main reason for putting on a lightweight concrete slab was so that stockmen in the area could get their 4-footed critters across. There was also a psychological factor involved. Many people, whether a foot or in a vehicle, suffer a fear of abnormal heights. And looking 650 feet down through an open grid, could be a somewhat nerve-shattering experience. Before the allotted 485 construction days were up, 29,000 square feet of decking was poured.
On the 28-foot roadway, 4-foot walkways with three offset observation platforms and guard rails were finished. And the job of cleaning up for the dedication was well underway. The major link in the long hope for northern Ralph was completed. Now, the two halves of Tows County, which had been divided for centuries, were joined by the second highest bridge in the nation.
The lands to the west were readily accessible. On September 10, 1965, only 396 working days after Governor Campbell detonated the charge with signal start of construction. People from all over New Mexico again gathered at the gorge, this time on the West Rim for the dedication. House businessmen, to whom the bridge had long been a dream, gave Governor Campbell a statue of himself straddling the gorge. Lieutenant Governor Mack Easley, and Highway Commission Chairman John Sutter, commended the engineers and workmen who completed the job ahead of schedule. Those men whose efforts have opened a new route to progress in New Mexico. The governor called the bridge building an act of faith. He said,
there are two kinds of people in the world, those who build bridges and those who build walls. America has always favored the builders of bridges. The west was settled by men and women who looked forward, moved forward, and who refused to be stopped by rivers in Kenya. I am proud today to be associated with you, who spoke out early and never faulted. You were the people of vision and determination, who made up your minds that there would be a bridge across the Rio Grande Gorge, and that it would be built in your lifetime. We who love this area for what it is and what it can become, earnestly pray that the spirit of cooperation and dedication, which led to the construction of this inspiring structure, will guide all your future efforts on behalf of this section of our state. May the Rio Grande Gorge bridge, be the bridge to a better life for all who pass this way. May the Rio Grande Gorge bridge be the bridge to a better life for all who pass this way.
May the Rio Grande Gorge bridge will guide all your future efforts on behalf of this area. May the Rio Grande Gorge bridge be the bridge to a better future. May the Rio Grande Gorge bridge be the bridge to a better life for all to pass this way. May the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge be the bridge to a better life for all who pass this way. May the Rio Grande Gorge bridge be the bridge to a better life for all who pass this way. May the Rio Grande Gorge bridge will guide all your future efforts on behalf of this area. ...
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This record is featured in “New Mexico Public Media Collection.”
Series
¡Colores!
Program
Bridging the Gorge
Episode Number
802
Episode
Spanning the High Desert: New Mexico's Historic Highway Bridges
Raw Footage
Bridges: Film
Producing Organization
New Mexico Highway Commission
Contributing Organization
WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
New Mexico PBS (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-191-22v41qzw
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip-191-22v41qzw).
Description
Episode Description
This is raw footage for ¡Colores! # 802 "Spanning the High Desert: New Mexico's Historic Highway Bridges." From conquering the flash floods of the Rio Puerco to the beauty of the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, New Mexico's historic highway bridges have one thing in common -- they played an important role in linking the state together. This ¡Colores! celebrates how these Bridges were built in the spirit of efficiency and progress, are artistic structures in their own right, and have become manifestations of our state's unique history. This program is produced with local historians David Kammer & Chris Wilson
Program Description
This file contains a historic program called Bridging the Gorge, a presentation of the New Mexico State Highway Commission.
Description
Rio Grande Bridge; 174
Raw Footage Description
File also includes close up shots of historical images and advertisements about the Rio Grande bridge and Alvarado train station in Albuquerque (New Mexico).
Asset type
Program
Genres
Documentary
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:31:14.573
Embed Code
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Credits
Producing Organization: New Mexico Highway Commission
AAPB Contributor Holdings
WGBH
Identifier: cpb-aacip-80759393546 (Filename)
Format: Betacam
Generation: Original
Duration: 00:30:00
KNME
Identifier: cpb-aacip-32b1bcb5d48 (Filename)
Format: Betacam
Generation: Master
Duration: 00:30:00
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Citations
Chicago: “¡Colores!; Bridging the Gorge; 802; Spanning the High Desert: New Mexico's Historic Highway Bridges; Bridges: Film,” WGBH, New Mexico PBS, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed September 21, 2026, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-191-22v41qzw.
MLA: “¡Colores!; Bridging the Gorge; 802; Spanning the High Desert: New Mexico's Historic Highway Bridges; Bridges: Film.” WGBH, New Mexico PBS, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. September 21, 2026. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-191-22v41qzw>.
APA: ¡Colores!; Bridging the Gorge; 802; Spanning the High Desert: New Mexico's Historic Highway Bridges; Bridges: Film. Boston, MA: WGBH, New Mexico PBS, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-191-22v41qzw