Pony Bridge
Posted by: 
TravisGood
N 35° 32.717 W 098° 18.933
14S E 562040 N 3933730
This is a brightly painted pony bridge of 38 arches along a quiet but beautiful stretch of Route 66 west of Oklahoma City as you approach Bridgeport, OK.
Waymark Code: WM1AN2
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 03/17/2007
Views: 132
Old bridges are a special subset of the Route 66 experience. There are enough of them along the way to keep things interesting and usually they're different from one another. Furthermore, along stretches of the 2-lane Route 66 which remain intact they tend to be quite old though usable and therefore special. This pony bridge is such a bridge.
The Pony Bridge
As you approach Bridgeport on the post-1933 route of Route 66, you come across a broad and shallow river bed. This is the South Canadian River and a 38-arch bridge spans it. Arches are also known as "ponies" and this bridge is made up of 38 low-rise truss arches, 19 on each side. They're painted yellow and can be seen from quite a distance. This bridge is also a gateway to one of the most pleasant drives in all of Route 66.
Cement Two-Lane Route 66
It is here where you ride along a two-lane cement road that follows the contours of the earth. It rises and falls gently with the hills. The seams in the cement sound a gentle rhythm as your wheels run across one after another after another. The sides of the road have a curb lip to guide water to periodic runoffs. Going down this road you really get a feel for what it must have been like to travel Route 66 back in the 1930s ... except for the fact that you're probably traveling at twice the speed they did back then!
For added color I've added a few pictures of the cement stretch of Route 66 that follows on after crossing the Pony Bridge. In one you can see how the road flows with the hills. In another you can see an example of the curb lip and a runoff drain. Also included are two remnants of old cement Route 66. The first picture under the arching tree branches shows how hardy the cement surface is; it's still in decent shape after being out of service for many years. The second picture shows how I-40 cuts through the middle of a stretch of cement Route 66. In the foreground is cement road and in the background is the continuation of the same cement road and in between slices I-40.