{"nrhp_refnum":"96001120","name":"State Highway 71 Bridge at the Colorado River","other_names":["Fy0265-14-038"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"TX 71, .8 mi E of jct. with FM 609","address_restricted":false,"city":"La Grange","county":"Fayette County","state":"TX","lat":29.901888862000078,"lon":-96.88458821999996,"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 business loop of State Highway 71 over the Colorado River in La Grange, Fayette County, Texas. It was built in 1940-1941 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 Texas Highway Department truss bridge, with a custom-designed five-span Parker truss and decorative features. It is one of only two surviving five-truss-span bridges on a Texas state highway, and one of three surviving THD truss bridges with this type of decorative steel picket railing on its walkway.","narrative":"Carrying the business loop of State Highway 71 across the Colorado River at La Grange, this 1,414-foot bridge combines five 200-foot riveted Parker through truss spans with eight steel I-beam approach spans. The Texas Highway Department designed it specially, and the Austin Bridge Company built it between 1940 and 1941 to replace an 1884 county bridge damaged in the July 1938 flood. Federal emergency relief funds covered part of the cost. Decorative touches include arched concrete bents, concrete piers with beveled copings, and a pedestrian walkway on the north side with an elaborate steel picket railing. La Grange residents had pressed to keep the highway routed through downtown, and the bridge was placed at the end of Travis Street. It is one of only two surviving five-truss-span bridges on a Texas state highway and remains largely unaltered. The 1991 outer loop around the town eased traffic and allowed it to be preserved in place.","period_of_significance":"1940-1941","architect_builder":"Bridge Designer: Texas Highway Department; Truss Fabricator: Illinois Steel Bridge Company of Jacksonville, Illinois; Bridge Builder: Austin Bridge Company of Dallas, Texas","architectural_style":"Other: Parker through truss bridge","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in use for vehicular transportation as the business loop of SH 71. No major alterations have been made, and the 1991 outer loop reduced traffic on the bridge.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.767504-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/52/9691/40969152/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/96001120.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001120/1edc457c4b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001120/1edc457c4b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:State_highway_71_bridge_at_the_colorado_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_71_bridge_at_the_colorado_river.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40969152","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q113585098"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/fayette-county/state-highway-71-bridge-at-the-colorado-river-96001120/"}