- City:
- Bonham, TX
- Site Type:
- Roads, Bridges, and Tunnels, Infrastructure and Utilities
- New Deal Agencies:
- Public Works Funding, National Recovery Administration (NRA)
- Started:
- 1937
- Completed:
- 1938
- Artist:
- Illinois Steel Bridge Company
- Contractor:
- Kansas City Bridge Company
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Marked:
- Yes
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
SH 78 bridge at Red River is the only surviving K-Truss bridge in Texas. It has an overall length of 2,108 feet, and provides a crossing between Fannin County, Texas and Bryan County, Oklahoma. The “eight riveted K-truss through spans, with two camelback pony truss spans at each end” (Lauderdale, 1996) was a joint project between the Texas Highway Department and the Oklahoma Highway Commission. Primarily designed by OHC engineers, the K-Truss is “meant to afford greater span length and strength” (Jensen). Kansas City Bridge Company were the contractors, and there is a roadside park on each side of the approach roadway. The trusses were fabricated by Illinois Steel Bridge Company. Funding was provided through the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933. Construction was completed October 20, 1938 for $335,000.
Source notes
Lauderdale, R. A., & St. George, P. (1996). State Highway 78 Bridge at the Red River. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service. Retrieved on November 4, 2018 from https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/NR/pdfs/96001517/96001517.pdf
Jenson, B. Multiple Property Documentation Form Historic Road Infrastructure of Texas, 1866-1965. United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service.
Site originally submitted by Susan Allen on November 4, 2018.
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Rebecca Glaser
Sadly, this bridge was recently demolished.