Arizona has seen its share of bridge collapses and failures. Here's what happened

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday in Baltimore already ranks among the biggest bridge breakdowns the country has ever seen.

Due to Arizona's infamous lack of bodies of water, one might think the state hasn't dealt with similar disasters, but they would be wrong. Arizona has actually seen its fair share of bridge collapses in its more than century-long history.

From flooding to train derailments and more, here are the recorded instances of bridges crumbling in Arizona, what happened and their aftermath.

2020 train derailment in Tempe damages bridge

The most recent occurrence of a massive bridge malfunction in Arizona came on July 29, 2020, at Tempe Town Lake. A westbound Union Pacific Railroad freight train was crossing over the lake around 6 a.m. before it derailed, causing 12 cars to catch fire and fall into an empty park below near Rio Salado Parkway, partially collapsing the more-than-100-year-old bridge.

Luckily, no one was injured in the incident. Still, two cars were carrying cyclohexanone, a flammable, industrial chemical used as a solvent and in metal degreasing, causing the liquid to pool below the collapsed structure. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality worked with the city of Tempe and Union Pacific Railroad to collect and test the soil and groundwater for cyclohexanone and other contaminants. More than 70 samples were collected, and test results showed no additional remediation was needed under the bridge, the lake or downstream in the Salt River.

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The derailment cost millions in dollars and left portions of Rio Salado Parkway and Tempe Beach Park closed for weeks as crews removed debris and rebuilt the bridge. It reopened about two weeks later on Aug. 12, and the road reopened in early September. It cost Union Pacific about $11 million to replace the bridge and make other repairs.

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded in an investigative report released in June of 2022 that a broken rail and a lack of an inner guard rail were the probable causes for the bridge's collapse.

Railroad bridge collapsed in 1902

One of the more catastrophic Arizona bridge collapses came on Oct. 29, 1902, when the Maricopa and Phoenix Railroad Bridge, also known as the Sante Fe Bridge, collapsed, sending the locomotive, tender and three freight cars into the Salt River below.

The train was on its regular route from Phoenix to Tucson when two spans collapsed as the train crossed the bridge. A damaged pullman car remained on the tracks, with about a third of its length hanging off the damaged bridge.

There was an unidentified Native American man who was killed due to him being on top of one of the freight cars. One locomotive fireman named Frank Goodrich had to have his leg amputated due to injuries from the crash, and four cattle being carried in the freight cars were killed.

According to the Tempe History Museum, it was theorized that flood water from earlier in the year had damaged the integrity of the pier that supported the two sections that caved in, and it was a matter of time before the wear and tear had its effect on the bridge.

The bridge was repaired and back in service within a week. The freight cars were destroyed by the accident, but the tender and locomotive were repaired and returned to service.

This bridge was also built in the same location as a previous bridge that was destroyed in a huge flood in February 1891, four years after it was built.

Tempe bridges plagued by flooding in early days

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there were many bridges in Tempe that never reached their full potential due to floods wiping them out. There were multiple that took multiple attempts to build before they would last.

The New Mill Avenue Bridge was one of these bridges, built in 1933 to accommodate a higher traffic flow. According to the city of Tempe, the first creation of this bridge was completely washed away due to a flood, but it hasn't faced the same fate since.

The Salt River Union Pacific Bridge was built in 1912 and has withstood the test of time and floods, but three truss bridges built in the same area were destroyed by floods, according to Tempe. This bridge is still used today by cargo trains.

Even later in the century, flooding continued to be a recurring problem in the Salt River, damaging bridges and stranding residents on one side of the river. In the 1960s, plans to revitalize the river coincided with the development of Arizona State University.

A group of ASU students pitched the Rio Salado Project to school officials in 1967, including the initial concept for Tempe Town Lake. The plan eventually moved forward in Tempe in the late 1980s, and the lake was revitalized to become a safe commercial hub.

Flash flood wipes out bridge, kills 23 in 1970

A flash flood in the Mogollon Rim area killed 23 and washed out bridges on Labor Day in 1970.

The flood was caused by a tropical storm that brought 11.4 inches of rain in 24 hours. A National Weather Service report at the time said all but four of the victims were in automobiles, attempting to outrun the water.

1980 floods cut off southeast Valley

In February 1980, flooding cut off the southeast Valley for four days and caused many school closures.

A series of storms inundated the area and floodwaters knocked out all of the crossings over the Salt River except for the Central and Mill avenue bridges. That flood prompted a project to deepen the Salt River channel through Phoenix.

Historic Arizona bridge collapses in 2003

The Hereford Bridge, which spans across the San Pedro River near Sierra Vista, was another bridge victim to a collapse. It crumbled to the earth in April 2003 after a fully loaded concrete truck ignored the weight limit sign twice.

It took three years for the bridge to be rebuilt to allow road travel across the river. The new bridge was built to withstand up to 40 tons, 15 tons more than before, making the route a viable alternative to the highway. The bridge is surrounded by nature, which was undisturbed by the reconstruction of the bridge.

Arizona lawmakers fight for highway bridge repair funding

With the collapse of the Baltimore Bridge, many have questioned the infrastructure of bridges across the country, including Arizona.

Some lawmakers have already made headway on this issue before the catastrophe. Arizona Democratic House Members Ruben Gallego and Greg Stanton announced last October that the state will receive over $1 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help repair highways and bridges and to build accommodations for electric vehicles.

President Joe Biden signed the law in November 2021. It includes funding for roads, bridges, airports, water systems, and ports of entry across the nation. Arizona already had a complex five-year plan that is updated based on the available budget that can expand its projects due to this funding, which Gallego and Stanton expected to only be a portion of what is received through legislation.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: These Arizona bridges collapsed in the past: What happened?