Washington Avenue bridge over Brazos gets regular checkup - Waco, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 31° 33.695 W 097° 07.698
14R E 677642 N 3493360
The venerable Washington Avenue bridge over the Brazos River adds color and splendor to the Waco skyline, but like most seniors, it needs frequent checkups.
Waymark Code: WMW3FJ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/05/2017
Views: 3
Waco Trib
So it was closed to traffic from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and will be again Monday so Texas Department of Transportation personnel can conduct a biennial “fracture critical inspection,” a follow-up to an 18-month rehabilitation project that provided cleaning, painting, structural repairs, new decking and upgraded bridge approaches for the structure in 2009 and 2010, when it was 109 years old. A ribbon-cutting with TxDOT and local elected officials celebrated completion of the work in July 2010.
The 450-foot bridge is “the longest and oldest single-span structure still in use in the United States,” according to information provided by TxDOT spokesman Ken Roberts.
A fracture critical inspection is a visual examination to make sure a bridge can handle the weight it normally carries.
A deficient bridge may be given posted load limits or closed entirely. The Washington Avenue bridge’s two-year checkups are routine.