Colorado’s Engineering Marvels

From bridges to dams to tunnels and beyond, Colorado has some fine examples of structural engineering.  Awe-inspiring bridges such as the Georgetown Loop, the Royal Gorge, and my personal favorite, the Red Cliff Arch Bridge, conquer the mountainous terrain to allow trains, pedestrians, and motor vehicles to cross wide canyons — get a spectacular view in the process.  Man-made dams such as Chatfield, Dillon, and Blue Mesa serve many purposes, including flood control, recreation, and water supply to towns and cities.  The Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels, the Moffat tunnel, and the Glenwood Canyon project challenged mother nature by creating passages through what had previously been impassable mountains. Each of these places — and hundreds of others across Colorado — have fascinating histories and stories to be told.  You can find these histories, along with technical information, on these feats of engineering by searching our library’s resources.  Some highlights from our collection include:

• Big Bore II:  A Visitor’s Guide to the Second Bore of the Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel.  Colorado Division of Highways, 1976.
• Bridge Detail Manual (website). Colorado Department of Transportation.
• “Bridging History:  A Photo Essay,” Colorado Heritage, Issue 3, 1985.
• Chatfield State Park.  Colorado Parks & Wildlife, 2013.
• Citizen’s Guide to Colorado’s Water Heritage.  Colorado Department of Natural Resources, 2004.
• Colorado Dam Site Inventory.  Colorado Water Conservation Board, 1996.
• Colorado Engineering Context.  Colorado Historical Society, 2006.
• Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways (website, includes information on several historic bridges including Red Cliff and Royal Gorge).  Colorado Department of Transportation.
• Colorado Statewide Historic Bridge Inventory.  Colorado Department of Transportation, 2011.
• Colorado’s Historic Architecture and Engineering Web Guide.  History Colorado.
• “Colorado’s Railroad to Nowhere:  Building and Rebuilding the Georgetown Loop,” Colorado Heritage, Spring 1999.
• Construction and Operation of Dams in Colorado.  Office of the State Engineer, 1989.
• “The Delicate Salvation of Glenwood Canyon,” Colorado Heritage, Winter 2000.
• Design of Hydraulic Structures.  Colorado State University, 1987.
• Directory of Railroad Properties in the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties.  Colorado Historical Society, 2006.
• Driving Tours of Historic Bridges in Fremont County and Near I-70, West of Denver, Colorado.  Colorado Department of Transportation, 2004.
• Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel.  Colorado Division of Highways, 1973.
• The Eisenhower Tunnel Rehabilitation Project (DVD).  Colorado Department of Transportation, 1996.
• Feasibility and Potential of Enhancing Water Recreation Opportunities on High Country Reservoirs.  Colorado State University, 1975.
• Field Guide to Colorado’s Historic Architecture and Engineering.  Colorado Historical Society, 2008.
• The Georgetown Loop:  A Capsule History and Guide.  Colorado Historical Society, 1986.
• Geothermal Heating of Bridges in Glenwood Canyon.  Colorado Division of Highways, 1985.
• Glenwood Canyon:  Ancient Treasure, Modern Marvel (DVD).  Colorado Department of Transportation, 1992. 
• Glenwood Canyon:  Mastering Engineering and Environment in the Colorado Rockies (DVD).  Colorado Department of Transportation, 1996.
• “A Glimpse of Moffat Tunnel History,” Colorado Magazine, March 1927.
• Great Plains Reservoirs Multiple Use Development Feasibility:  Engineering Hydrology & Operations.  University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, 1989.
• Guide to Construction and Administration of Dams in Colorado.  Office of the State Engineer, 2005.
• Highways to the Sky:  A Context and History of Colorado’s Highway System.  Colorado Historical Society/State Historical Fund, 2002.
• The Historic Castlewood Canyon Bridge (DVD).  Colorado Department of Transportation, 2003.
• I-70 Through Glenwood Canyon:  Engineering Geology.  Colorado Division of Highways, 1985.
• I-70 Through Glenwood Canyon:  New Innovations in Highway Construction.  Colorado Division of Highways, 1984.
• Interstate 70 Glenwood Canyon:  A Design Concept Study.  Colorado Division of Highways, 1974.
• Inventory of Colorado’s Front Range Mountain Reservoirs.  Colorado State University, 1977.
• Local Officials’ Guide to Architecture, Engineering, and Land Surveying.  Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, 2012.
• Mastering a Mountain (DVD on construction of Eisenhower Tunnel).  Colorado Division of Highways, 1980.
• Nature’s Building Codes:  Geology and Construction in Colorado.  Colorado Geological Survey, 1979.
• “‘Putting a Five-Story Building Through the Mountain:’  How the Straight Creek Tunnel Transformed Colorado,” Colorado Heritage, July/August 2010.
• Redcliff Arch Bridge Rehabilitation Project (DVD).  Colorado Department of Transportation, 2006.
• Royal Gorge:  Things to See and Do (website), Colorado Tourism Office.
• San Luis Valley Project:  Wagon Wheel Gap Reservoir, Platoro Reservoir, Mogote Reservoir, Closed Basin Drain.  Colorado Geological Survey, 1983.
• Spanning Generations:  The Historic Bridges of Colorado.  Colorado Department of Transportation, 2004.
• “The Story of a Valley:  Georgetown Loop Historic Mining and Railroad Park,” Colorado Heritage, Issue 3, 1984.
• Three Bridges [Red Cliff Arch, Rainbow Arch Bridge, Genessee Park Bridge] (DVD). Colorado Department of Transportation, 1995.
• Three Bridges, Twelve Days:  US 6 Clear Creek Canyon Bridge Rehabilitation (DVD).  Colorado Department of Transportation, 2005.
• Tunnel Visioning:  A Design Workshop for the Twin Tunnels.  Colorado Department of Transportation, 2011.
• Westbound I-70 Twin Tunnels Expansion Project.  Colorado Department of Transportation, 2014.

Publications not available online can be borrowed from our library or through Prospector or interlibrary loan.  For more resources, search our library’s web catalog.

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A side note, speaking of floods and canyons — this Sunday, July 31, marks the 40th anniversary of the Big Thompson Flood.  See my blog entry from the 35th anniversary for resources on this topic.