W.W. Midgely Bridge

Midgely Bridge is an arch bridge located on US89A  just north of Sedona, Arizona. The bridge spans Wilson Canyon where it enters Oak Creek Canyon.

Constructed in 1939, it’s named for local rancher W.W. Midgley, in honour of his long support of such projects. Midgley Bridge was the final bridge constructed in a series of bridges on Oak Creek Highway between Sedona and Flagstaff.

Midgely Bridge is an historic road bridge listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The bridge design is a Spandrel-Braced Deck Arch, spanning 375 feet (114.3 metres). This type of bridge comprises an arch where the deck is completely above the arch. The area between the arch and the deck is known as the spandrel. If the deck is supported by a number of vertical columns rising from the arch (as is the case for the Midgely bridge) it is known as an open-spandrel arch bridge.

Today’s post consists of a series of photographs taken in 2015 and 2018, showing the bridge from a variety of perspectives. I like this subject because it offers so many different ways of viewing and photographing it.

I begin with this view, intended to capture an overall impression of its size, shape and structure. It was photographed from the path that descends to a hiking trail at the bottom of the canyon.

This view of the bridge was captured from the same pathway, on the opposite side of the bridge. The photograph emphasizes the arch of the bridge, detailing the intricate web of structural steel supporting the deck above.

I chose this picture to display the supporting columns at the bridge’s south end, built upon the rock of the canyon wall. The bridge is supported at each end only, relying on the arched structure to bear its span.

I like this gnarled, old Piñon Pine on the cliff’s edge at the north end of the bridge. Not unlike the bridge, it’s a structure; old, weathered, strong and durable.

The appeal of this photograph for me are the shadows created by the arch structure on the opposing face of the canyon. I was fortunate to have a sunny day, creating this web of shadows to make the image all the more interesting.

This bridge was meant to be photographed in black and white. I’ve converted this photo from the colour original with the intent of using monochromatic tones and strong contrast to make a bolder image.

This last image is one I’ve created to represent how a photo taken at the time of the bridge’s completion in 1939 might look.