The State Highway Bridge
(known for years 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's
a recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and it's listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Brazoria Bridge was constructed in 1939 to carry State Highways SH332 and FM521 across the Brazos River. Like the two highways that it carries, the bridge was owned by the State of Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT).
After TXDOT completed the construction of the "New Brazoria Bridge" around 2010, the old bridge was abandoned and closed. Barriers were placed at both ends to block pedestrians.
For several years before the old bridge was closed, numerous plans were developed to use the bridge for pedestrian purposes. TXDOT offered to repaint the bridge and then donate it to Brazoria County or the City of Brazoria. The County Parks Department proposed a plan to use the bridge as part of a new county park.
All redevelopment plans fell through in the face of rising cost estimates. According to the Brazoria County News, the estimate for lead-paint remediation alone reached $5 million. See articles here and here.
Today the bridge stands forlornly next to the new bridge, blocked at both ends to prevent pedestrian use, slowly rusting away and dropping bits of lead paint into the river.
After TXDOT completed the construction of the "New Brazoria Bridge" around 2010, the old bridge was abandoned and closed. Barriers were placed at both ends to block pedestrians.
For several years before the old bridge was closed, numerous plans were developed to use the bridge for pedestrian purposes. TXDOT offered to repaint the bridge and then donate it to Brazoria County or the City of Brazoria. The County Parks Department proposed a plan to use the bridge as part of a new county park.
All redevelopment plans fell through in the face of rising cost estimates. According to the Brazoria County News, the estimate for lead-paint remediation alone reached $5 million. See articles here and here.
Today the bridge stands forlornly next to the new bridge, blocked at both ends to prevent pedestrian use, slowly rusting away and dropping bits of lead paint into the river.
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| Southwest Approach viewed from west |
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| Satellite image of the Brazoria Bridge (left) and UPRR railroad bridge (right), before construction of the new Brazoria Bridge. The shadows of the three Parker trusses of the Brazoria Bridge are clearly visible in this image. Click image for current map. Source: Wikimapia. |
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| Markers on bridge truss |
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| FEDERAL EMERGENCY ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC WORKS FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES BRAZORIA BRIDGE 1939 |
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| FEDERAL EMERGENCY ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC WORKS FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES BRAZORIA BRIDGE 1939 (Digitally altered photo) |
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| BRAZORIA BRIDGE HAS BEEN LISTED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 1991 |
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| BRAZORIA BRIDGE HAS BEEN LISTED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 1991 (Digitally altered photo) |
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| PRESENTED TO BRAZORIA COUNTY COUNTY JUDGE FLOYD WINSLOW - 1938 O.K.PHILLIPS -1939 J.C. MCKENZIE - CONS ENGINEER HAILE & McCLENDON - ASSOC CONS ENGRS KELIHER CONSTR. CO. - CONTRACTOR |
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| Bridge structure from the northeast, looking southwest |
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| Bridge structure from the northeast, looking southwest |
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| Bridge piers from the southwest, looking northeast, at low and high water |
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| Southwest approach, seen from the southeast |
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| Southwest approach, looking north. |
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| China Street bridge seen from Brazoria bridge. Credit: Brazoria County Historical Museum. |
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| Brazoria Bridge from southwest, looking northeast. Credit: Brazoria County Historical Museum |