The Bridge That Started A Journey - Jason R Workman Memorial Bridge
- Rachel K
- Jul 3
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 20
Podcast: Journeys
Series: Discoveries
John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
The Jason R. Workman Memorial Bridge
High above the San Juan River in southeastern Utah stands the Jason R. Workman Memorial Bridge. To many travelers, it's simply the bridge leading into Mexican Hat. But as we pulled over to the side, I noticed a name. And that name led me to a story.
And that story became an answer to prayers that lead me on a journey.
Who was Jason R. Workman?
Jason was a Navy SEAL from Utah who was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2011. The bridge was named in his honor, transforming a familiar crossing into a place of remembrance.
Suddenly, it was no longer just a bridge.
It carried a name, a life, and a story.
A Crossing Generations in the Making
Long before the present bridge was built, crossing the San Juan River presented a significant challenge. The river could separate communities, interrupt travel, and make moving through this part of southeastern Utah difficult.
Ferries provided some of the earliest crossings. Later, suspension bridges were constructed, damaged, and rebuilt as people continued searching for a more dependable way across the river.
One of the people involved in those early efforts was Elias L. Goodridge, an early settler, businessman, and entrepreneur. He recognized how important a reliable river crossing would be and helped finance an early wire suspension bridge near what would become Mexican Hat.
By 1913, a more substantial suspension bridge provided a dependable crossing that served the area for generations.
Each bridge represented more than construction materials and engineering. It represented determination, connection, and the human desire to find a way forward.
The bridge that stands there today continues that purpose. It carries people across the same river, but its name also carries something else forward: memory.
More Than a Name
A memorial bridge asks us to remember.
Even if we never knew the person whose name appears on the sign, we are invited—if only for a moment—to recognize that this life mattered. Someone served, sacrificed, loved, and left people behind who still carry their memory.
Most travelers will cross the Jason R. Workman Memorial Bridge in only a few seconds. Some may never notice its name. Others might see it but continue driving without giving it another thought.
That easily could have been me.
But curiosity made me stop, and ask a question.
That question led me to Jason’s story. It also led me to think about other bridges around the world that carry memories of sacrifice, tragedy, survival, and healing.
Bridges are practical structures, but they can also become powerful symbols. They connect one side to another. They carry us over obstacles. They help communities rebuild and remind people of what should not be forgotten.
Perhaps that is why bridges make such meaningful memorials.
The Stories Hidden Along the Road
The Jason R. Workman Memorial Bridge helped me understand something important about the way I want to travel.
I do not want to move through a place simply checking landmarks off a list. I want to notice what is around me. I want to understand why something was built, how it received its name, and whose story may be waiting beneath the surface.
Every place holds stories.
They may be written on historical markers, preserved in museums, passed down through families, or carried quietly in the names of roads and bridges. Sometimes we only discover them because we slow down long enough to ask:
Why is this here?
What happened in this place?
Who was this person?
That last question became the beginning of this episode.
I may never have known Jason R. Workman, but learning his story changed the way I experience this crossing. Now, when I see the bridge, I do not only see the road ahead or the river below.
I remember that a person’s story has been entrusted to this place.
Maybe that is what bridges like this are for—not only to carry us across water, but to carry memory forward.
Continue the Journey
Honor The Fallen - Jason R Workman
Veteran Tributes - Jason R Workman
Southwest Brown Eyes - great place to find historic photos
Bridge Across San Juan River Near Mexican Hat 1933 
Mexican Hat Bridge 
Bridge at Mexican Hat, Utah 
Old and New Bridge
Connect
Credits
Host & Producer: Rachel Koko
Podcast Series: Journeys: Discoveries, a podcast by Radiant Grace Productions
Theme Music: Style - IPFXSUWDW5K0FZYC
Photography & Images:
Jason R Workman Bridge; By Steven Baltakatei Sandoval - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79586587
The photograph is of the U.S. Route 163 bridge crossing the San Juan River near Mexican Hat, Utah. The bridge is also known as the Jason R. Workman Memorial Bridge after being renamed in 2016. Photograph taken on 2019-03-03T00:17:09Z.
Mexican Hat Bridge
Old and New Bridge
Bridge at Mexican Hat
Bridge Across San Juan River Near Mexican Hat 1933
Comments