Old Iron Bridge (Bastrop, Texas)
Colorado River Bridge at Bastrop | |
---|---|
![]() Pedestrian bridge crossing the Colorado River in Bastrop | |
Coordinates | 30°06′36″N 97°19′23″W / 30.11°N 97.323°W |
Carries | Pedestrian traffic |
Crosses | Colorado River |
Locale | Bastrop, Texas USA |
Owner | City of Bastrop |
Characteristics | |
Design | Parker through truss bridge |
Material | Steel, reinforced concrete |
Total length | 1,285 feet (392 m) |
Longest span | 192 feet (59 m) |
No. of lanes | 2 |
History | |
Architect | G.G. Wickline |
Contracted lead designer | R.E. Schiller |
Constructed by | Kansas City Bridge Company |
Construction start | 1923 |
Construction cost | $167,500 |
Opened | January 1924 |
Old Iron Bridge | |
Coordinates | 30°06′18″N 97°19′22″W / 30.10500°N 97.32278°W |
Area | less than one acre |
MPS | Bastrop Historic and Architectural MRA |
NRHP reference No. | 90001031[1] |
Added to NRHP | July 19, 1990 |
Location | |
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The Old Iron Bridge, sometimes referred to as the Colorado River Bridge, is a 1,285-foot (392 m)-long bridge with three steel truss spans and concrete piers that crosses the Colorado River as part of Loop 150 through Bastrop, Texas. The bridge is one of the earliest surviving uses of the Parker truss in Texas.

With automobiles becoming the dominant form of transportation in the United States after World War I, a new bridge was needed to handle the increasing traffic between Houston and Austin. The original estimate of the cost of the Old Iron Bridge was $40,000 and was partially financed by bonds issued by Bastrop County. The rest was paid for with federal funds disbursed by the Texas State Highway Department. Bids on the project were solicited and the Kansas City Bridge Co. was selected as contractor. The final cost of the bridge's construction was $167,500. The bridge was completed in 1923 and opened for use in January 1924. The original bridge was sold and torn down in the early 1930s.[2]
The bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 19, 1990.
See also
[edit]- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bastrop County, Texas
- List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas
- List of crossings of the Colorado River
References
[edit]External links
[edit] Media related to Old Iron Bridge at Bastrop at Wikimedia Commons
- Buildings and structures in Bastrop County, Texas
- Bridges completed in 1890
- Bridges completed in 1923
- Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas
- National Register of Historic Places in Bastrop County, Texas
- Transportation in Bastrop County, Texas
- Former toll bridges in Texas
- Bridges over the Colorado River (Texas)
- Steel bridges in the United States
- Parker truss bridges in the United States