Bluff Dale Suspension Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Bluff Dale Suspension Bridge is a historic bridge
located near Bluff Dale, Texas
, United States
. The bridge was built in 1891 and the spans 225 feet across the Paluxy River
. The road deck is 28 feet above the river and held in place by fourteen one-inch cables attached to the towers made of nine-inch iron
pipe
.
Despite the name given in Historic American Engineering Record documentation, the Bluff Dale Suspension Bridge is actually a cable-stayed structure. Its deck is suspended from multiple layers of stay cables radiating from the towers, some terminating at the deck and others running continuously from one tower to the other. This pattern of cables was established in designer Edwin Elijah Runyon's first U.S. patent, No. 394,940. Its hand-twisted wire cable and non-traditional use of wrought-iron pipe components make it a notable example of vernacular American bridge construction.
The bridge was originally constructed across the river on a dirt road that became Texas state highway 10, which is now U.S. Route 377
. In 1933, a new bridge was built to handle the increasing traffic on US 377. The old bridge was relocated in 1934 1.5 miles upstream and extended from 200 to 225 feet.
The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on December 20, 1977. The bridge is on Preservation Texas' 2009 list of most endangered places due to its poor condition and lack of funds for restoration. It was closed to vehicular traffic in 1989 because of its advanced state of deterioration.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
located near Bluff Dale, Texas
Bluff Dale, Texas
Bluff Dale is an unincorporated community in Erath County, Texas, United States.The Bluff Dale Independent School District serves area students.- History :BLUFF DALE, Texas is on U.S. Highway 377 and the North Paluxy River in northeastern Erath County...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The bridge was built in 1891 and the spans 225 feet across the Paluxy River
Paluxy River
The Paluxy River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. It is a tributary of the Brazos River. It is formed by the convergence of the North Paluxy River and the South Paluxy River near Bluff Dale, Texas in Erath County and flows a distance of before joining the Brazos just to the east of Glen...
. The road deck is 28 feet above the river and held in place by fourteen one-inch cables attached to the towers made of nine-inch iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
pipe
Pipe (material)
A pipe is a tubular section or hollow cylinder, usually but not necessarily of circular cross-section, used mainly to convey substances which can flow — liquids and gases , slurries, powders, masses of small solids...
.
Despite the name given in Historic American Engineering Record documentation, the Bluff Dale Suspension Bridge is actually a cable-stayed structure. Its deck is suspended from multiple layers of stay cables radiating from the towers, some terminating at the deck and others running continuously from one tower to the other. This pattern of cables was established in designer Edwin Elijah Runyon's first U.S. patent, No. 394,940. Its hand-twisted wire cable and non-traditional use of wrought-iron pipe components make it a notable example of vernacular American bridge construction.
The bridge was originally constructed across the river on a dirt road that became Texas state highway 10, which is now U.S. Route 377
U.S. Route 377
U.S. Route 377 is a north–south United States highway. Originally created as a short spur to connect Denton, Texas with Fort Worth, Texas, it has since been extended to Oklahoma and Mexico for a total length of 478 miles .-Texas:...
. In 1933, a new bridge was built to handle the increasing traffic on US 377. The old bridge was relocated in 1934 1.5 miles upstream and extended from 200 to 225 feet.
The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 20, 1977. The bridge is on Preservation Texas' 2009 list of most endangered places due to its poor condition and lack of funds for restoration. It was closed to vehicular traffic in 1989 because of its advanced state of deterioration.