State Highway 79 Bridge at the Red River
Also known as: Cy0282-01-005
Why it's listed
Carrying State Highway 79 across the Red River between Clay County, Texas, and Jefferson County, Oklahoma, this 1939 bridge combines 21 riveted steel camelback pony truss spans of 100 feet each with steel I-beam approach spans. A 26-span relief structure sits on the Texas side. Concrete piers, abutments and railing with grooved decorative end posts complete the design. The Oklahoma Highway Commission designed it, Virginia Bridge & Iron fabricated the trusses, and Brooks & Dahlgren of Oklahoma City built it. Texas and Oklahoma highway departments jointly built the crossing to replace a toll bridge and link Wichita Falls with Waurika, helping connect oil-producing regions. It is the only camelback pony truss bridge left on a Texas state highway and the fourth longest highway department truss bridge in the state. Apart from erosion-control work along the river banks, it has changed little since construction and remains in road use.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bridge is the only surviving camelback pony truss bridge on a state highway in Texas and the fourth longest highway department truss bridge in the state, meeting Criterion C for engineering. It also meets Criterion A for transportation, because it replaced a toll bridge and gave a more direct route between Wichita Falls and Waurika, supporting regional economic development.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 96001518, listed December 20, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | OK 79 across the Red River at the OK-TX state line, Byers |
|---|---|
| County | Clay County |
| Listed | December 20, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96001518 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1939 |
| Architect / builder | Bridge Designer: Oklahoma Highway Commission; Truss Fabricator: Virginia Bridge & Iron Company of Roanoke, Virginia; Bridge Builder: Brooks & Dahlgren, Inc. of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Architectural style | Other: camelback pony truss bridge |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a road bridge; erosion-control repairs since 1956 but no other major repairs, and it retains substantial integrity. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 34.13299, -98.09095 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 96001518.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16900697
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.