{"nrhp_refnum":"96001118","name":"Montopolis Bridge","other_names":["US 183 Bridge at the Colorado R.","Tv0265-01-034"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"US 183, 8.1 mi. S of jct. with I-35","address_restricted":false,"city":"Austin","county":"Travis County","state":"TX","lat":30.245412620000025,"lon":-97.69134872499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-10-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A steel Parker through truss bridge carrying the southbound frontage road of US 183 over the Colorado River in southeast Austin, Travis County, Texas. It was built in 1937-1938 by the Vincennes Steel Corporation under contract to the Texas Highway Department.","why_significant":"The bridge is significant under Criterion C in the area of Engineering at the state level. Texas Highway Department engineers created a special design for its five riveted 200-foot truss spans, with decorative concrete and steel features. It is one of only two five-span truss bridges surviving on a Texas state highway and one of three surviving THD truss bridges with this type of decorative picket railing on a pedestrian walkway.","narrative":"Montopolis Bridge is a 1,221-foot steel truss crossing of the Colorado River in southeast Austin. It has five 200-foot riveted Parker through truss spans, four 52-foot steel I-beam approach spans, and concrete piers and arched bents. The Texas Highway Department built it from 1937 to 1938 to replace a late-1880s county bridge destroyed by the June 1935 flood. Vincennes Steel Corporation of Indiana won the contract with a bid of just under $254,000. Engineers designed the truss spans specially and added decorative touches, including beveled pier copings and a five-foot pedestrian walkway with an elaborate steel picket railing. The bridge is one of only two five-span truss bridges surviving on a Texas state highway. It was listed for its engineering significance. Newer bridges added in 1962-1963 and 1995 now carry most traffic, and the original truss bridge remains in service on the southbound frontage road of US 183.","period_of_significance":"1937-1938","architect_builder":"Bridge Designer: Texas Highway Department; Truss Fabricator and Bridge Builder: Vincennes Steel Corporation of Vincennes, Indiana","architectural_style":"Other: Parker through truss bridge","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in place and carrying vehicular traffic as the southbound frontage road of US 183, retaining substantial integrity despite newer adjacent bridges.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.485799-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/58/9703/40970358/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/96001118.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001118/cf855abfe2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001118/cf855abfe2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montopolis_bridge_2013.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:Montopolis_bridge_2013.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40970358","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montopolis_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6906133"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/travis-county/montopolis-bridge-96001118/"}