Aquilla Creek Truss Bridge - McLennan County, TX
N 31° 44.434 W 097° 12.241
14R E 670128 N 3513082
The Aquilla Creek Truss Bridge is a pin-connected, 7-panel Pratt through truss bridge that once took traffic across Aquilla Creek on Rogers Hill Rd near Gholson. Today, it is essentially an observation deck, the north end not easily navigable.
Waymark Code: WM13Y72
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/11/2021
Views: 2
A historical marker placed by the McLennan County Historical Commission provides some history; interestingly, the Texas Historical Commission lists their own statewide marker in their Atlas with identical text, but that marker is nowhere to be found. There are some bits and pieces suggesting that a replacement marker is in the works, and this may have been an earlier marker that was redeployed when the state's marker disappeared. It reads:
The road crossing Aquilla Creek at this point was built in 1875. In times of heavy rainfall the condition of the roadbed across Aquilla Creek was impassable. In September 1887 county Judge W. W. Evans contracted with the King Iron Bridge Company to build a span of 125 feet with a 100-foot approach on each side of the creek. The King Iron Bridge Company did not complete the work, and the contract was given to the Missouri Valley Bridge Iron Works of Leavenworth, Kansas. That company finished the bridge in 1892 and was paid $3,000. Two other iron truss bridges were built over Aquilla Creek between Waco and Gholson and between West and Gholson. Both were torn down in the 1950s. A concrete bridge was built for vehicular traffic in 1998; this historic bridge was saved due to strong local support.
Bridgehunter (see below) notes the length of the largest span as 110.9', with a total length of 167' and a deck width of 14.1'. The deck itself is in very good condition, obviously not the original. There's enough space for a few vehicles to park safely (see coordinates, below) near the southern end of the bridge -- there's nothing comparable on the northern end -- and the best view is to the east.