The Old Iron Bridge, sometimes referred to as the Colorado River Bridge, is a -long bridge with three steel truss spans and concrete piers that crosses the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

as part of Loop 150 through Bastrop, Texas. The three bridge spans over the river consist of identical Parker through trusses, each in length, supported on concrete piers. The bridge is one of the earliest surviving uses of the Parker truss in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. The Old Iron Bridge was the second bridge crossing at this location. The first bridge at the crossing was built from 1889 to 1890 at a cost of $45,000. This bridge replaced the ferries across the river, which had been in use since the 1830s. The bridge was in length. It was originally a toll bridge, but was later purchased by the county and the tolls were removed. Colorado River bridge at Bastrop 2 2020

With automobiles becoming the dominant form of transportation in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, a new bridge was needed to handle the increasing traffic between

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

and

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. The original estimate of the cost of the Old Iron Bridge was $40,000 and was partially financed by bonds issued by

Bastrop County Bastrop County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in Central Texas and its county seat is Bastrop. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,216. Bastrop County is included in the Austin–Round Rock, Texas, metropolita ...

. 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."Colorado River Bridge at Bastrop" Texas Historic Sites Atlas
/ref> Ownership of the Old Iron Bridge probably passed from the county to the state during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, as the local governments did not have the funds to maintain their road systems. Growth in Bastrop in the 1990s strained the capacity of the narrow two-lane bridge. A wider concrete beam bridge was built parallel to the Old Iron Bridge. The State of Texas transferred ownership of the truss bridge to the City of Bastrop and the bridge became a pedestrian walkway. The bridge is also used for special events such as the annual "Art on the Bridge" art show and sale. The bridge was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on July 19, 1990.

References

External links

{{Bastrop County, Texas 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

See also

References

External links