San Jon and Trujillo Creek Bridges

Two timber stringer bridges carried U.S. Route 66, over San Jon Creek and Trujillo Creek in Quay County, New Mexico.

Two timber stringer bridges carried U.S. Route 66 over San Jon Creek and Trujillo Creek in Quay County, New Mexico.

History

In 1930, U.S. Route 66 was realigned and paved between Glenrio and San Jon to the west. ² Flooding on the Trujillo and San Jon creeks forced a realignment in 1931 that involved the construction of two treated timber bridges built to he New Mexico State Highway Department specifications. The San Jon Creek bridge, Bridge 1625, measured 302 feet in total length, with 12 spans of 25 feet each and a deck width of 20 feet. Immediately east, the Trujillo Creek bridge matched the 302-foot total length but was composed of 15 spans of 20 feet each, also with a 20-foot deck width.

The timber bridges on the 1930 and 1931 alignments were bypassed with a newer alignment to the north in 1952. ²

By the 1960s, this portion of U.S. Route 66 was nicknamed “Slaughter Lane” because of its high accident rates. A routing compromise in 1969 allowed Interstate 40 to be completed between Glenrio and San Jon in 1976.

Replacement

In April 2022, the Quay County Commission selected the lowest of three bids to build a low-water bridge over San Jon Creek on former U.S. Route 66. ³ The winning bid still exceeded the engineer’s estimate by more than $650,000.

On the recommendation of county manager Daniel Zamora and Stantec Engineering’s Wayland Oliver, commissioners approved a $2.62 million bid from Vital Consulting Group of Albuquerque to construct the bridge adjacent to the existing 1931 Bridge 1625, between San Jon and Endee. ³ The old bridge would be bypassed but preserved for U.S. Route 66 tourists.

Vital’s bid was one-third higher than the engineer’s 2019 estimate of $1.97 million. ³ Stantec completed the design in December 2020, but required certifications and studies related to Route 66’s historic status delayed the project through 2021. The county secured an extension on its state grant, but supply-chain issues and rising material costs drove construction expenses nationwide.

To reduce costs, Oliver removed paving for the bridge approaches, lowering Vital’s initial bid by $630,000. ³ The other bids were $2.86 million from El Terrero Construction and $3.36 million from Meridian Contracting.

As the new bridge neared completion on May 23-24, 2023, a flash flood dropped an estimated six to eight inches of rain on the area, washing out the nearly finished replacement crossing. ^{1 3} The 1931 Bridge 1625 was also damaged and closed to traffic immediately after.

A permanent replacement stalled because the contractor had not insured the destroyed bridge. ¹ The contractor argued that the architect’s contract did not require such coverage, while the architect disagreed. The county’s attorney acknowledged that the contract was poorly written.

The contractor and architect exchanged blame for nearly 18 months. ¹ The county has since filed suit against both parties. A mediation hearing is scheduled for November 2025, with a trial expected the following year.

In the meantime, the failed replacement bridge was removed, and a temporary gravel road was laid through the creekbed. ¹

Adjacent to the bridges ran the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, which was abandoned between Amarillo, Texas, and Tucumcari, New Mexico, in 1980.