State Highway 78 Bridge at the Red River - Ravenna, TX
N 33° 45.196 W 096° 11.782
14S E 759695 N 3738330
The State Highway 78 Bridge at the Red River takes vehicular traffic across the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
Waymark Code: WM125JB
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/04/2020
Views: 1
Wikipedia's article reads:
"The Highway 78 Bridge at the Red River is an eight-span through truss bridge over the Red River between Oklahoma and Texas on Oklahoma State Highway 78/Texas State Highway 78. It was built as a federal relief project during the Great Depression as part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. Today the bridge and the area retain the look and feel of the time of its construction. As part of Highway 78 the bridge's average daily traffic (as of 2006) was 1,700 cars per day.
History
The State Highway 78 Bridge at the Red River replaced a suspension bridge that collapsed on January 15, 1934. The former bridge had been opened as a toll bridge in July 1927. It was purchased by Oklahoma and Texas for use as a free bridge. It collapsed in a storm after the swinging bridge's wire cables became twisted and snapped.
As a Federal Relief Project funded by the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 construction began on February 16, 1937. It was completed in 1938.
The bridge marks the location of Sowell's Bluff.
Architecture
The Oklahoma Highway Commission designed the bridge. Constructed in 1937-1938 by the Kansas City Bridge Co. of Kansas City, Missouri, the bridge is designed as a rare example of a K-Parker through truss bridge with camelback pony spans. The bridge consists of eight riveted K-truss through spans with two camelback pony truss spans at each end.
The Illinois Steel Bridge Company of Jacksonville, Illinois was subcontracted to fabricate the trusses.
Overview
- Length of largest span: 210.0 ft.
- Total length: 2,108.0 ft.
- Deck width: 24.0 ft.
- Vertical clearance above deck: 15.9 ft."
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Contributor's note: While the color of the soil of the Red River gives the river its name, those who venture down to the river banks will encounter black soil, or worse, very slippery mud. You're in the Blackland Prairie. It is not an easy task to get down below, but one of the two roadside parks (on the southwest side) has a place where someone has attached a cable to assist in scaling the bluff. Be very, very careful, as the steep slopes and the mud below can be a challenge. The smell of the water should be sufficient to deter you from going into it, as you never know what kinds of bacteria are floating around these days. Best of luck driving to the park on the southeast side, and access on the Oklahoma side appears to be very limited. You'll find the park on the southwest side to be filled with trash, and it can be cramped: It might be best to park on the road before it descends the bluff.