1870 Waco Texas Suspension Bridge - 1870wacosuspensionsouthtonorth198101 is a photograph by Frank J Benz which was uploaded on October 31st, 2019.
1870 Waco Texas Suspension Bridge - 1870wacosuspensionsouthtonorth198101
1870 Waco Texas Suspension Bridge... more
by Frank J Benz
Title
1870 Waco Texas Suspension Bridge - 1870wacosuspensionsouthtonorth198101
Artist
Frank J Benz
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
1870 Waco Texas Suspension Bridge
This view of the bridge is from the south side, The Waco side, looking north across the Brazos River.
The historic Waco Suspension Bridge, crossing the Brazos River, was constructed between 1868 to 1969 and opened in 1870 in Waco, Texas. Prior to 1869, it was an extremely time consuming and many times very dangerous process to cross the Brazos River. The bridge was constructed by John A Roebling Company and uses suspension cables obtained from the Roebling Company of Trenton, New Jersey.
Due to the fact that Waco was quite a remote location, the logistical and engineering problems encountered were far removed from normal construction methodology. With the lack of machine shops in the Waco area getting material to the construction site was another problem with the nearest railroad being about 100 mile away. Artisans with the needed skills for the project were not in the local area and had to come from Galveston which is over 212 miles away.
The bridge was completed, opened for business and collected the first tolls on January 1, 1870. This bridge was the first major suspension bridge built in Texas and the only bridge to cross the Brazos River at the time. The suspension bridge was made wide enough for stagecoaches to pass each other, for cattle to cross on one side of the bridge and people to cross on the other. The twin double towers that anchored the bridge span were considered to be an engineering marvel at the time and contained nearly 3 million locally produced bricks and has a main span of 475 feet.
Uploaded
October 31st, 2019
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