The Tonto Creek Bridge in Gila County officially opened to traffic on Monday, June 17, after two years of construction and decades of outreach.
The $25 million bridge opened at 9 a.m. Monday, Gila County Engineer Tom Goodman confirmed. The bridge connects the flood-prone west and east sides of the Tonto River, providing safe passage for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians across the river.
“This will save lives,” Goodman said. “No question about it. When Toronto Creek starts flowing again, people won't have to try to cross it.”
The project began in September 2022 and took 390 working days to complete. Gila County provided $4 million in funding, while $21 million was provided by the Federal Highway Administration.
The Arizona Department of Transportation administered the contract for the project.
Gila County residents and officials had been calling for the bridge to be built since the 1980s, but the county never had the necessary funding for the project. In November 2019, the Federal Highway Administration stepped in after a family lost three children while trying to cross a flooded creek.
Goodman said the bridge also has the potential to provide economic benefits as development grows on the east side of the creek, where new homes are being built because the bridge ensures safe, consistent access for residents.
“This is really good for the community,” Goodman said. “People will be able to go to work, they'll be able to go to their doctor's appointments, they'll be able to buy groceries, they'll be able to go to school.”
The opening ceremony for the new Tonto Creek Bridge will be held from 10 a.m. to noon June 22. Representatives from the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and local and state-level elected officials are scheduled to speak.
Shuttle buses will be available to transport participants to the bridge, and the event will also have water and medical tents available as temperatures are expected to be high.
“This is really an opportunity for a lot of people who have really been a part of this,” Goodman said. “We've been working on this bridge since the '70s, we've been trying to raise the money, and finally, finally it's done.”
