In 1921, a riveted steel arch was built jointly by the county and state across the Carbon River providing the link which enabled the construction of the first road to Fairfax.

In his book Bridge Engineering, John Alexander Low Waddell explains the reason for the paucity of arches in the United States.

American engineers, on the other hand, have been indifferent to the question of aesthetics, and have preferred simple spans to arches mainly for reasons of simplicity and economy, but sometimes on account of their greater rigidity.

For deep gorges with rocky sides, or for shallow streams with rock bottom and natural abutments, arches are eminently proper and economical."

[3] The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) banned wide loads from using the bridge in 2009 and expanded its restrictions to exclude all commercial vehicles in 2013.