State Highway 23 Bridge at the Clear Fork of the Brazos River

Carrying US 283 across the Clear Fork of the Brazos River just north of Fort Griffin State Park, this 1929 bridge combines a single 150-foot steel Parker through truss with ten concrete girder approach spans, for an overall length of about 457 feet. The Texas Highway Department designed it, using its standard T20-150 truss, which Virginia Bridge & Iron Company fabricated. Maney & Alley of Oklahoma City built it, though weather damage, difficult bedrock excavation and a bearing problem on one girder span left the contractor with a loss. The bridge is the only surviving example of the T20-150 design and the earliest standard-design Parker through truss in Texas. Its piers also depart from the usual pattern, with straight rather than battered columns. Later changes were modest: the concrete railing was shortened in the 1940s for safety and the portal bracing was replaced with a steel beam. It was recognized for engineering significance at the state level.