{"nrhp_refnum":"93000117","name":"Colorado River Bridge","other_names":["Site No. 649"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"S. Richmond Rd. (Old US 59) across the Colorado R.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wharton","county":"Wharton County","state":"TX","lat":29.30864640200008,"lon":-96.10379714999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1993-03-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-part steel truss and concrete highway bridge carrying South Richmond Road (US 59) over the Colorado River in Wharton, Wharton County, Texas. It was built in 1930 by the Austin Bridge Company.","why_significant":"The bridge is significant under Criterion A in the area of transportation. It opened Wharton to vehicular traffic as the town shifted from rail to auto and truck access. It is one of two historic bridges remaining over the Colorado River at Wharton and is a major visual landmark.","narrative":"Spanning the Colorado River on South Richmond Road in Wharton, Texas, this 1930 highway bridge combines two Camelback Parker-through steel truss sections, each of eight panels, with short concrete approaches that have concrete curbs and precast guard rails. Large concrete pylons support it, the biggest near the middle of the river. The Austin Bridge Company built it under a Texas Highway Department contract awarded in 1929, and the company later used a rendering of the bridge on its checks. It replaced an 1893 iron bridge a few blocks west. The river had long limited Wharton's trade to the south, and the crossing allowed vehicles to reach the town as travel moved from rail to cars and trucks. It was recognized for its role in transportation and community development, and it remains a prominent landmark, perhaps the tallest structure in town. It still carries the north-south lane of U.S. 59.","period_of_significance":"1930-1942","architect_builder":"Austin Bridge Company","architectural_style":"OTHER: Parker-through Truss","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Remains in use as the north-south lane of U.S. 59; trusses are in good condition while the concrete approaches vary in quality.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.942994-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/64/9707/40970764/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/93000117.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93000117/892c6bf9f2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93000117/892c6bf9f2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colorado_River_Bridge_Wharton_Texas.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry D. Moore</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colorado_River_Bridge_Wharton_Texas.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40970764","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110002549"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/wharton-county/colorado-river-bridge-93000117/"}