No, REALLY -- The speed limit for car traffic over the Old Spanish Trail/US 90/SH 3 bridge over the Trinity River was set by the state of Texas at 5 MPH! See: (
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"The State Highway 3 Bridge at the Trinity River, built from 1929 to 1930, is significant for embodying the defining characteristics of a Texas Highway Department truss bridge. . . .
The Trinity River bridge was built on the original SH 3, also known as the Southern National Highway, which linked Del Rio, San Antonio, Houston, Beaumont and Orange. From Seguin to Houston, the route paralleled a branch of the Texas & New Orleans Railroad (also known as the Southern Pacific Railroad). . . . The Trinity River bridge replaced an unsafe truss bridge the Austin Bridge Company had built in 1914.
. . .
In May 1927, engineers from TXHD, the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) and Liberty County inspected the old bridge and subsequently recommended that the load limit be reduced from 5 tons to 5,000 pounds and that the speed limit over the bridge be set at five miles per hour. . . ."
The waymarked railroad through truss bridge was built in 1914 by the Texas and New Orleans Railroad to carry its locomotives east and west over the Trinity River near Liberty TX. The Texas and New Orleans Railroad, which operated from New Orleans to Houston, before being acquired by the Southern Pacific in 1881. The SP operated T&NO as a subsidiary RR, so the T&NO actively owned, leased, operated and acquired other railroads.
By 1934 the T&NO was the largest railroad in Texas, with 3,713 miles (5,975 km) of railroad tracks in Texas and Louisiana. The T&NO merged fully into the Southern Pacific in 1961, and ceased to exist. The Southern Pacific merged with the Union Pacific in 1996. Sources: (1) Wikipedia: (
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The bridge is interesting because it is composed of different styles of truss spans. The one nearest Liberty is a Parker Bowstring Truss, while the one reaching the west bank of the Trinity is a Pratt Through Truss.
From Bridgehunter.com: (
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"Overview
Through truss bridge over Trinity River on Railroad
Location
Liberty, Liberty County, Texas
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1919
Railroads
- Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS)
- Texas & New Orleans Railroad (TNO; T&NO)
- Union Pacific Railroad (UP)
Design
Parker through truss"
The bridge could have been both a diverting and frustrating sight as VERRRRY SLOWWWWW OST car travelers watched the T&NO trains go by 4 or 5 times as fast as the cars were allowed to travel.
On the other hand, car riders had PLENTY of time to enjoy watching the elegant steam locomotives cross this picturesque bend of the Trinity.