Bluff Dale Suspension Bridge and CR 159 Lost Thru Truss Bridge, Paluxy River, Erath County, Texas. (original) (raw)

"County Road 149 at the Paluxy River, vicinity of Bluff Dale, Texas

In 1891, Texas bridge builder William Flinn assembled this highly unusual cable-stayed bridge using iron pipes, rods and castings. Wrapped wire cables complete the 140-foot invention. Crossing the Paluxy River near rural Bluff Dale. This technological wonder remains as the earliest known cable-stayed bridge in the United States." -

Jim & Lou Kinsey, 2003

Historical Marker Text:

Bluff Dale Suspension Bridge

For at least 20 years vehicles had to ford the Paluxy River to reach Bluff Dale and points west. Wagon traffic increased after the Fort Worth & Rio Grande Railroad line reached the town in 1889. This iron bridge began to serve the public by spanning the Paluxy about 1891, on the main access road that became State Highway 10 and later U.S. 377. By 1933 arterial highway travel demanded a wider bridge. In 1934 authorities moved the "swinging" bridge 1.5 miles upstream where it serves local traffic.

The Bluff Dale Suspension Bridge Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2008

Another view of the Bluff Dale Suspension Bridge
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2008

The Lost Through Truss Bridge

On CR 159:

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