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I've expanded a bit on the history of the old bridge, including a mention of the unbridged crossing that was in use before the new bridge opened. Cactus Wren 11:33, 4 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
There were actually several phases of traffic routing on the old bridge. Originally, vehicles were narrow enough that there were two lanes in each direction and the seams in the concrete reflect that intent. That pattern continued into the 70's. As Semi-trucks got bigger, they tended to prefer the "left" lane rather than the curb lane. One event changed everything. Two semis in the opposing left lanes passed so close together that the long-armed rear view mirrors on the drivers doors smacked each other. One driver was blinded by the shattered glass.
That event motivated three things:
The bridge became one lane each way until a separate northbound route could be made.
Plans were advanced to have an additional bridge.
In the meantime, two northbound lanes were paved across the dry river bottom.
174.19.161.226 (talk) 18:39, 17 August 2016 (UTC) W David Doiron...personal experience, Tempe resident since 1957[reply]
