{"nrhp_refnum":"96001119","name":"State Highway 53 Bridge at the Leon River","other_names":["FM 817 Br. at the Leon R.","Bl0015-05-060"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"FM 817, 2.5 mi. E of jct. with FM 93","address_restricted":false,"city":"Belton","county":"Bell County","state":"TX","lat":31.066315374000055,"lon":-97.44254857599998,"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 highway bridge carrying FM 817 over the Leon River just northeast of Belton, Bell County, Texas, built in 1938-1939 by the Austin Bridge Company for the Texas Highway Department.","why_significant":"The bridge is significant under Criterion C in the area of Engineering at the state level. It embodies the defining characteristics of a Parker through truss designed by the Texas Highway Department. It has a custom-designed 200-foot riveted truss span and an elaborate decorative steel railing on its pedestrian walkway, one of only three surviving Texas Highway Department truss bridges with this type of railing.","narrative":"Carrying FM 817 across the Leon River northeast of Belton, this 412-foot steel bridge combines a single 200-foot riveted Parker through truss with four steel I-beam approach spans. Texas Highway Department engineers designed it specially to replace a 1907 county bridge that had a narrow 17-foot roadway, sharp end curves and a 10-ton load limit. The Austin Bridge Company built the new crossing between 1938 and 1939 for about $98,000, and Mosher Steel Company fabricated the truss. Arched concrete bents, concrete piers with beveled copings and a 5-foot pedestrian walkway with decorative steel picket railing reflect an effort to improve bridge aesthetics near urban areas. Only three surviving department truss bridges have this type of railing. When Interstate 35 and a realigned highway drew traffic away, the bridge stayed in place for local use. It has had no major alterations and is recognized for its engineering significance at the state level.","period_of_significance":"1938-1939","architect_builder":"Bridge Designer: Texas Highway Department; Truss Fabricator: Mosher Steel Company of Houston, Texas, owned by the Mosher Steel & Machinery Company of Dallas, Texas; Bridge Builder: Austin Bridge Company of Dallas, Texas","architectural_style":"Other: Parker through truss bridge","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in use for vehicular traffic as FM 817; no major alterations have been made and it retains integrity of design, materials and workmanship.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:24.113783-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/95/9682/40968295/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/96001119.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001119/c3e057c9b3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001119/c3e057c9b3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:State_highway_53_bridge_leon_river.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:State_highway_53_bridge_leon_river.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40968295","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001565"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bell-county/state-highway-53-bridge-at-the-leon-river-96001119/"}