State Highway 34 Bridge at the Trinity River
Also known as: Kf0173-02-008
Why it's listed
This highway crossing on State Highway 34 spans the Trinity River where Ellis and Kaufman counties meet, near Rosser, Texas. It combines a single 150-foot steel Parker through truss with 53 steel I-beam approach spans and two small borrow pit bridges, for an overall length of about 1,708 feet. The Texas Highway Department designed it, Petroleum Iron Works of Beaumont fabricated the steel, and the Austin Bridge Company of Dallas built it between December 1933 and November 1934. Funding came almost entirely from federal emergency money authorized by the National Industrial Recovery Act, which aimed to sustain highway construction and employment during the Depression. Contract provisions required hand labor methods for some work. The truss follows the department's standard T22-150 design, one of four surviving examples in Texas. Only one major repair, to a single bent in 1954, is recorded, and the structures remain largely unchanged. A replacement project was scheduled for late 1996.
Significance in brief: The bridge was built with federal emergency relief funds under the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933, tying it to Depression-era public works. It also embodies the defining characteristics of a Texas Highway Department standard truss design (T22-150), one of four surviving examples in Texas. At just over 1,700 feet, it is the third longest Parker through truss bridge remaining in Texas.
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 96001109, listed October 10, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | TX 34 at the Ellis and Kaufman Cnty. line, Rosser |
|---|---|
| County | Kaufman County |
| Listed | October 10, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96001109 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1933-1934 |
| Architect / builder | Bridge Designer: Texas Highway Department; Truss Fabricator: Petroleum Iron Works Company of Beaumont, Texas; Bridge Builder: Austin Bridge Company of Dallas, Texas |
| Architectural style | Other: Parker through truss bridge |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still carrying vehicular traffic at the time of the form; a replacement project scheduled for late 1996 would remove the main structure and both borrow pit bridges. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.42672, -96.46285 (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 96001109.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q55315816
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.