State Highway 16 Bridge at the Brazos River
Also known as: State Hwy. 6 Br. at the Brazos R.; Kx0098-05-036
Why it's listed
Carrying State Highway 6 over the Brazos River just south of Benjamin, this steel through truss bridge was built in 1938 and 1939 to replace an unsafe 1901 county truss bridge. Texas Highway Department engineers custom-designed it with a three-span continuous truss unit of 382 feet 6 inches, flanked by two 96-foot truss spans and steel I-beam approach spans, for a total length of 754 feet 9 inches. Contractor Oran Speer of Alvord built it, and the Virginia Bridge Company fabricated the steel trusses. Construction was complicated when the old bridge's south abutment, founded on sand, collapsed during work, forcing a detour road. The new bridge opened to traffic in January 1939 and cost about $138,000. It is one of only seven continuous through truss bridges surviving in Texas, and the only one with parallel top and bottom chords. It was listed for engineering significance, and it has changed little since 1939.
Significance in brief: The bridge was custom-designed by Texas Highway Department engineers rather than built to a standard plan. It is one of only seven surviving continuous through truss bridges in Texas and one of five built before World War II. It is the only surviving continuous truss bridge in the state with parallel top and bottom chords, and one of three metal truss bridges with Type P concrete and steel approach railing.
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 96001123, 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 6, 6 mi. S of jct. with US 82, Benjamin |
|---|---|
| County | Knox County |
| Listed | October 10, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96001123 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1938-1939 |
| Architect / builder | Bridge Designer: Texas Highway Department; Truss Fabricator: Virginia Bridge Company of Roanoke, Virginia; Bridge Builder: Oran Speer of Alvord, Texas |
| Architectural style | Other: continuous through truss bridge |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used for vehicular transportation; the form states it retains substantial integrity and had only minor repairs in 1985. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.50015, -99.80187 (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 96001123.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000932
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.