Cow Bayou Swing Bridge
Also known as: SH 73/87 Bridge at Cow Bayou
Why it's listed
Completed in 1940, this steel swing bridge carries northbound State Highway 87 over Cow Bayou in Bridge City, Texas. It is 806 feet long, with a 154-foot movable plate girder span that pivots on a central concrete pier supported by 61 timber piles, plus thirteen steel I-beam approach spans and a concrete deck. Texas Highway Department engineers based the design on the Deweyville Bridge over the Sabine River, and the two are the oldest surviving center-bearing swing bridges in the state. An electric motor operates the span, with hand operation as a backup. The bridge closed the last gap on the highway between Orange and Port Arthur after about ten years of lobbying by local citizens. A parallel high-rise bridge was added in 1972 for southbound traffic. Proposals to replace the swing bridge were reconsidered after preservation review and local advocacy, and repairs began in 2008.
Significance in brief: The bridge is nominated under Criterion C in the area of Engineering at the state level. It is one of only two remaining center-bearing highway swing bridges in Texas, and its design was modeled on the earlier Deweyville Bridge. It was also the last major construction project on State Highway 87 between Orange and Port Arthur.
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 10000252, listed May 10, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SH 73/87 1.13 mi NE of jct with FM 1442, Bridge City |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | May 10, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000252 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1940 |
| Architect / builder | Texas State Highway Department, Bridge Department; Resident Engineer: Charles Davidson; Project Engineer: L.V. Norris; Contractor: Jensen Construction Co. Inc. |
| Architectural style | OTHER/steel I-beam and steel girder swing bridge |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still carries northbound SH 87 traffic. Rehabilitation work began in 2008 to repair joint binding, and the bridge was saved from a proposed replacement through a Section 106 review. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 30.04810, -93.82015 (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 10000252.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002769
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.