Welcome to BrazosBlog

BrazosBlog is dedicated to preserving the history of four bridges — past, present, and future — crossing the Brazos River at Brazoria, Texas:

• The China Street Bridge, constructed in 1912; no longer extant except for the center-pivot pier.
• The first SH 332/FM 521 Highway Bridge, constructed in 1939 to replace the damaged China Street Bridge.
• The UPRR Railroad Bridge, originally constructed by the St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico Railway Company.
• The second SH 332/FM 521 Highway Bridge, currently under construction to replace the first SH 332/FM 521 highway bridge.

Neal McLain
nmclain@annsgarden.com
Brazoria, Texas
Revised 06/19/2008

Brazos River

Tributaries of the Brazos River arise just across the Texas border in New Mexico.   The river flows across most of the state of Texas, passing Brazos Bend State Park and the City of Brazoria before discharging into the Gulf of Mexico near Quintana Beach south of Freeport.

At 840 miles, the Brazos is the longest river in Texas, draining a watershed of 42,800 square miles.  Worldatlas.com cites it as one of the twelve "major rivers" of North America.
Credit: U.S. Geological Survey, Texas Sites by Basin.

The City of Brazoria lies on the southwestern bank of the river, at the intersection of SH35 and FM521.
Credit: Wikimapia.org.

The following map shows the locations of the bridges with respect to historic streets.
Credit: Brazoria County Historical Museum.

The following map shows the locations of the two extant bridges and the China Street Bridge pier.
Credit: US Geological Survey map, 7.5-minute series, Brazoria quadrangle.

China Street Bridge

The China Street Bridge — the first bridge across the Brazos River at Brazoria — was a wood-decked center-pivot structure constructed in 1912. The following photo shows the bridge as it existing in the 1920s and 1930s.
Credit: Brazoria County Historical Museum

The bridge collapsed into the river in the 1930s during a period of high water, apparently due to failure of the southwest pier.   The center-pivot pier is all that remains today.   Although it was once in the center of the river, erosion of the soutwest bank and deposition on the northeast bank has moved the river westerly, with the result that the pier is no longer in the center of the river.

The following satellite image shows the pier as it exists today. Note that:

• The alignment of the original road is visible in the forest northeast of the river.
  
• The connection to China Street, although no longer visible, is apparent on the southwest bank of the river.

Credit: Wikimapia.org

The center pier as seen from the State Highway bridge, at high water:

The center pier from the southwest bank of the river, at low water:

The center pier from the southwest bank of the river, at low and high water:

State Highway Bridge

The State Highway Bridge (also known as the "Brazos River Bridge at Brazoria" or the "Brazoria Bridge") is a 1124-foot concrete and steel structure containing three Parker truss spans.   It was constructed in 1939, and it's still in use today, carrying State Highways SH332 and FM521.   It's a recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and it's listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Following is a satellite photo of the highway bridge and the adjacent UPRR railroad bridge.   The shadows of the three Parker trusses are clearly visible.
Credit: Wikimapia.org





Bridge structure from the northeast, looking southwest:

Bridge piers from the southwest, looking northeast, at low and high water:

The southwest approach, seen from the southeast:


Historic photo of the highway bridge from the railroad bridge, looking north. Credit: Brazoria County Historical Museum.
Historic photo of the highway bridge from the northeast approach, looking southwest toward Brazoria. Credit: Brazoria County Historical Museum.

UPRR Railroad Bridge

The UPRR Railroad Bridge was originally built ca 1907 by the St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico Railway Company.   It's a center-pivot swing bridge, theoretically capable of pivoting to allow river traffic to pass, although it has not been opened for several years.

The SLBMRW merged with the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company in 1956, which in turn merged with the Union Pacific in 1997.   The railroad operates today as the Union Pacific, which still uses the bridge for revenue traffic.   Two or three dozen trains a day pass across it, most of which are drawn by UPRR locomotives, although BNSF and KSC locomotives are sometimes seen.

The UPRR Railroad Bridge as seen from the State Highway Bridge, looking southeast:

Following is a satellite photo of the railroad bridge and the adjacent state highway bridge.   The shadow of the bridge structure is clearly visible.
Credit: Wikimapia.org

Photos of the northeast approach as seen from the northwest:

Photos of the northeast approach as seen from the southeast:

Photos of the southwest approach as seen from the southeast:

New State Bridge

The State of Texas Department of Transportation plans to construct a new four-lane highway bridges between the two existing bridges. As part of the project, portions of SH332 and FM521 will be realigned to eliminate the 270-degree loop presently connecting the bridge to SH332.

Preliminary TX-DOT plans as of 2005:
Credit: Texas DOT

Proposed alignment (approximate):

State Highway Bridge UpdateBrazoria County News 06/18/08

State Highway Bridge UpdateBrazoria County News 07/03/08