State Highway 3 Bridge at the Colorado River
Also known as: US 90 Br. at the Colorado R.; Cd0027-01-001
Why it's listed
Carrying US 90 over the Colorado River just east of Columbus, this bridge consists of three riveted steel Parker through truss spans and five steel I-beam approach spans, with an overall length of about 766 feet. A 200-foot center span is flanked by two 150-foot spans, all resting on concrete piers. The Austin Bridge Company built it between October 1931 and November 1932 for roughly $128,000, using plans prepared by the Texas Highway Department. It replaced an unsafe truss bridge from about 1898, where a highway department truck fell through the deck in 1928. The new structure was placed on an improved alignment that removed a sharp turn and widened the roadway. Its importance lies in engineering: the department combined two standard truss designs, T22-200 and T22-150, rather than commissioning a custom design. Only three T22-200 bridges survive in Texas. The bridge has seen no major repairs and retains its original character.
Significance in brief: The bridge is significant in the area of engineering at the state level because it embodies the characteristics of a Texas Highway Department truss bridge. It shows the department's practice of combining standard truss designs to span long crossings. Its main span uses the T22-200 design, one of only three surviving examples in Texas, and it is one of four surviving multiple-span truss bridges combining different standard designs.
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 96001111, listed October 10, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | US 90, .6 mi. E of jct. with Loop 329, Columbus |
|---|---|
| County | Colorado County |
| Listed | October 10, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96001111 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1931-1932 |
| Architect / builder | Bridge Designer: Texas Highway Department; Truss Fabricator: Mosher Steel & Machinery of Dallas, Texas; Bridge Builder: Austin Bridge Company of Dallas, Texas |
| Architectural style | Other: Parker through truss bridge |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used for vehicular traffic on US 90; no major repairs have been made and it appears relatively unchanged since 1932. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 29.70622, -96.53601 (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 96001111.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000930
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.