State Highway 89 Bridge at the Brazos River
Also known as: I-20 Br. at the Brazos River(n. frontage rd.); Pr0314-01-006
Why it's listed
Three 165-foot steel Parker through truss spans and eleven concrete girder approach spans carry a frontage road over the Brazos River in southwest Parker County, Texas. The bridge is 892 feet long and rests on concrete piers and bents. Buckner Brothers of Cleburne built it between December 1933 and September 1934 for the Texas Highway Department, which designed it as part of State Highway 89. Its trusses follow the department's T24-165 standard design, one of 25 Parker through truss designs developed by the Bridge Division, and it is the only surviving example of that design in Texas. When new bridges for Interstate 20 were built alongside in 1967-1970, the original was kept as a local two-way frontage road. Apart from patching of several bent caps in 1994, it has seen no major alterations and keeps substantial integrity. It was listed for its engineering significance at the state level.
Significance in brief: The bridge embodies the defining characteristics of a Texas Highway Department truss bridge, meeting Criterion C in Engineering at the state level. It uses the T24-165 standard design, one of 25 THD Parker through truss designs, and is the only surviving example of that design 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 96001115, listed October 10, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | I-20, 1.7 mi. W of jct. with FM 113, Millsap |
|---|---|
| County | Parker County |
| Listed | October 10, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96001115 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1933-1934 |
| Architect / builder | Bridge Designer: Texas Highway Department; Truss Fabricator: Houston Structural Steel Company, owned and operated by the Mosher Steel & Machinery Company of Dallas, Texas; Bridge Builder: Buckner Brothers of Cleburne, Texas |
| Architectural style | Other: Parker through truss bridge |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in vehicular use as a two-way, two-lane frontage road on I-20; only minor repairs to bent caps in 1994. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.66691, -98.03337 (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 96001115.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001296
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.