{"nrhp_refnum":"96001124","name":"State Highway 27 Bridge at the South Llano River","other_names":["Loop 481 Br. at the S. Llano R.","Km0142-16-031"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Loop 481, .2 mi. E of 6th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Junction","county":"Kimble County","state":"TX","lat":30.487947318000067,"lon":-99.76272280499995,"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 continuous steel through truss highway bridge, 1,424 feet long, carrying Loop 481 over the South Llano River just east of Junction, Kimble County, Texas. It was built in 1936-1937 by the Texas Highway Department and is owned by the state.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the bridge embodies the defining characteristics of a Texas Highway Department truss bridge, with a custom continuous design chosen partly for appearance. Its abutment layout is unique: the abutments act only as retaining walls, and it is the only documented surviving Texas Highway Department bridge built this way. It is also the only surviving continuous truss in Texas with a parallel top chord that includes a bowed section.","narrative":"Carrying Loop 481 across the South Llano River at Junction, this 1,424-foot steel through truss bridge was built in 1936-1937 to replace a narrow, weak truss bridge that a June 1935 flood had damaged. Texas Highway Department engineers abandoned a standard design and developed a continuous Warren truss with a 24-foot roadway and a pedestrian walkway. Local engineers wanted a handsome structure because the city was developing riverfront parkland. One span has a gently bowed top chord that appears to have been included for looks rather than strength. The abutments are unusual, serving only as retaining walls while separate concrete piers hold up the bridge ends. It is the only documented surviving Texas Highway Department bridge with this arrangement. Central Bitulithic Company of Dallas built it with steel fabricated by Bethlehem Steel, at a cost of more than $283,000. It opened to traffic in August 1936 and has seen no major alterations, and it is recognized for engineering significance at the state level.","period_of_significance":"1936-1937","architect_builder":"Bridge Designer: Texas Highway Department; Truss Fabricator: Bethlehem Steel Company of Pottstown, Pennsylvania; Bridge Builder: Central Bitulithic Company of Dallas, Texas","architectural_style":"Other: continuous through truss bridge","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used for vehicular traffic as Loop 481; no major repairs or alterations have been made and the form reports substantial integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.83725-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/66/9697/40969766/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/96001124.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001124/feea2b0701-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001124/feea2b0701-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ M.D.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:STATE_HIGHWAY_27_BRIDGE_AT_THE_SOUTH_LLANO_RIVER,_JUNCTION,_KIMBLE_COUNTY,_TX.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ M.D.</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:STATE_HIGHWAY_27_BRIDGE_AT_THE_SOUTH_LLANO_RIVER,_JUNCTION,_KIMBLE_COUNTY,_TX.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40969766","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001263"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/kimble-county/state-highway-27-bridge-at-the-south-llano-river-96001124/"}