Washington Street Bridge - 1901 - Waco, TX - Bridge Date Stones and Plaques on Waymarking.com

With a construction date of 1901, this massive 450 foot Pennsylvania truss main span forms a bridge that is noteworthy for an extremely long span length for a simply spanning truss bridge. When first built, it was claimed to be the longest known simply spanning truss bridge in the world, although it apparently in reality fell short of that somewhat. It was however the longest span simple truss in Texas. With a complex truss configuration, built-up beams featuring extensive lattice and v-lacing, and decorative portal and knee bracing, this bridge is very beautiful. It is also an extremely old example of a bridge spanning a distance of over 400 feet. The bridge features deck plate girder approach spans at either end of the bridge, and the main truss span is seated on large caissons. The bridge features decorative shapes on the knee and portal bracing. On the portal bracing star-shaped cutouts are present. The historic integrity of the bridge is excellent, with no major design or character-altering alterations observed. As such, this bridge is among the most noteworthy historic bridges in Texas.

The historic significance of this bridge has been recognized, and in 2009 a project was begun to rehabilitate this bridge for continued vehicular use and completed in 2010. The bridge was repainted from a silver color to black, which was found to be the original color of the bridge. The rehabilitation appears to have been a very high quality rehabilitation, and the historic integrity of the bridge appears to have been maintained. Original pedestrian railings remain on the bridge. The former non-original vehicular guardrails were replaced with stronger guardrails, which are a low profile design that does not detract from the historic appearance of the bridge and should also protect both motorists and the historic bridge. The original plaques on the bridge were repainted, and a new plaque was also placed on the bridge listing it as a bridge on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge was also changed from carrying one-way traffic to carrying two-way traffic. The city of Waco deserves to be thanked for choosing to preserve this beautiful and important part of our transportation heritage.