Skip to main content

Idaho's Perrine Memorial Bridge over the Snake River Canyon

The better known of the two high bridges (the other being the Hansen Bridge) that cross the Snake River Canyon near Twin Falls, Idaho is the I.B. Perrine Memorial Bridge. Carrying US 93 some 1500 feet across and 486 feet above the Snake River, the Perrine Bridge is the eighth tallest bridge and the fourth highest arch bridge in the United States. Opened in 1976, the distinctive brown arch bridge was a replacement for the 476 foot high Twin Falls Jerome Intercounty Bridge. Locals say the bridge has always been known as the Perrine Bridge because of the man who was instrumental in getting it built. The bridge was originally officially known by a number, Bridge 17-850, but the bridge was officially named for Ira Burton "I.B." Perrine in 2000. Today, more than 32,000 cars, trucks and motorcycles use it every day to travel between Jerome and Twin Falls Counties.

The Twin Falls Jerome Intercounty Bridge, which was a colossal 2 lane bridge that was the third highest bridge in the world upon its opening in 1927, a bridge that cost $662,000 to build. There was a grand opening with much fanfare. The bridge was christened with a bottle of cider by the wife of Ira Burton Perrine, the man that the modern bridge is named after, and was celebrated by barbecuing twelve steers at the opening ceremony. The original bridge was tolled, with drivers paying 60 cents per car, which amounts to around $9 in today's money, plus a nickel per passenger. Idaho bought the bridge in 1940 and the tolls were removed.

Then in 1976, the current bridge was built and remains the same today as it did back then, three times wider than the original bridge. The upgrade cost $10.5 million and took three years to complete. The main span of the bridge was constructed using a stayed cantilever method where individual pieces of the arch were lowered down, held in place by a series of cables that radiated out from the end of an already completed approach span on either side of the canyon. This was a temporary measure. Once the two arch halves were joined in the middle of the bridge, the cable stays were removed from the structure and a high line was then used to place the final spandrel supports and deck spans.

The Perrine Bridge and the surrounding Snake River Canyon has a history of daredevil stunts and thrill seeking. The bridge is a popular destination for BASE jumpers from all over the world. It is one of the few structures they can use without special permits from the city. Known among BASE jumpers as the Potato Bridge, the 48 story drop from the bridge deck to the canyon floor has become legendary within the BASE community. In 2005, Miles Daisher jumped from the Perrine Bridge 57 times in less than 24 hours, hiking out of the Snake River Canyon each time. This is approximately the equivalent of hiking Mount Everest.

This is also in the general area of where Evel Knievel made his famous and unsuccessful attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon on September 8, 1974. To the east of the bridge, along the south rim of the canyon, the dirt ramp used by Evel Knievel when he unsuccessfully attempted to jump the canyon on his steam-powered "skycycle" in 1974 is still visible. A malfunction had caused Knievel to fall to the rocks of the Snake River Canyon, but fortunately, his only injuries consisted of facial cuts and minor bruises. The Simpsons episode "Bart The Daredevil" is based on Knievel's attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon. On September 16, 2016, stuntman Eddie Braun did what Evel Knievel did not, successfully jumping the Snake River Canyon in a rocket motorcycle built by the son of the man who built the original rocket motorcycle. The rocket motorcycle was named "Evel Spirit" in Knievel’s honor.

You can visit the Perrine Bridge by going to the visitor's center in Twin Falls, located next to the bridge. There is a walkway along the south rim of the Snake River Canyon, along with an observation deck. Pedestrian walkways along the bridge are also publicly accessible if you want to see some different views of the Snake River Canyon.


Small monument commemorating Evel Knievel's unsuccessful jump of the Snake River Canyon.

A picture and storyboard of the old Perrine Bridge.

Historical plaque dedicated to I.B. Perrine.

I.B. Perrine is pretty much the guy who invented Twin Falls, Idaho.

I.B. Perrine statue.

The seamy underbelly of the Perrine Bridge.

Looking a little west towards the Perrine Bridge. My other photos are west of the bridge.


There are a couple of golf courses located at the bottom of the Snake River Canyon west of the bridge.




Shoshone Falls is the other main attraction in Twin Falls and is certainly worth the detour.




How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
KTVB 7 - The History of the I.B. Perrine Bridge
Visit Idaho - Perrine Bridge
Visit Southern Idaho - Perrine Bridge
Visit Southern Idaho - Evel Knievel Jump Site
Highest Bridges - Perrine Bridge
MagicValley.com - Gallery: Perrine Bridge in All Seasons
Bridgehunter - Perrine Bridge
InfrastructureUSA - Great American Infrastructure: Twin Falls, ID: Perrine Bridge

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I-40 rockslide uncovers old debates on highway

The Asheville Citizen-Times continues to do a great job covering all the angles of the Interstate 40 Haywood County rock slide. An article in Sunday's edition provides a strong historical perspective on how the Pigeon River routing of Interstate 40 came about. And perhaps most strikingly, in an article that ran just prior to the highway's opening in the fall of 1968, how engineers from both Tennessee and North Carolina warned "...that slides would probably be a major problem along the route for many years." On February 12, 1969, not long after the Interstate opened, the first rock slide that would close I-40 occurred. Like many other Interstates within North Carolina, Interstate 40 through the mountains has a history prior to formation of the Interstate Highway System and was also a heated political battle between local communities. The discussion for a road that would eventually become Interstate 40 dates back to the 1940's as the idea for interregional high

Former California State Route 41 past Bates Station

When California State Route 41 was commissioned during August 1934 it was aligned along the then existing Fresno-Yosemite Road north of the San Joaquin River.  Within the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, the original highway alignment ran past Bates Station via what is now Madera County Road 209, part of eastern Road 406 and Road 207.   Bates Station was a stage station plotted during the early 1880s at what was the intersection of the Coarsegold Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road.   The modern alignment bypassing Bates Station to the east would be reopened to traffic during late 1939.   Part 1; the history of California State Route 41 past Bates Station Bates Station was featured as one of the many 1875-1899 Madera County era towns in the May 21, 1968, Madera Tribune .  Post Office Service at Bates Station is noted to have been established on November 23, 1883 and ran continuously until October 31, 1903.  The postal name was sourced from Bates Station owner/operator George Ba

Interstate 210 the Foothill Freeway

The combined Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor of the Foothill Freeway is approximately 85.31-miles.  The Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor begins at Interstate 5 at the northern outskirts of Los Angeles and travels east to Interstate 10 in Redlands of San Bernardino County.  Interstate 210 is presently signed on the 44.9-mile segment of the Foothill Freeway between Interstate 5 and California State Route 57.  California State Route 210 makes up the remaining 40.41 miles of the Foothill Freeway east to Interstate 10.  Interstate 210 is still classified by the Federal Highway Administration as existing on what is now signed as California State Route 57 from San Dimas south to Interstate 10.  The focus of this blog will mostly be on the history of Interstate 210 segment of the Foothill Freeway.   Part 1; the history of Interstate 210 and California State Route 210 Interstate 210 (I-210) was approved as a chargeable Interstate during September of