Regency Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Regency Bridge, locally known as the "Swinging Bridge," is a one-lane suspension bridge
over the Colorado River
in Texas
. It is located at the intersection of Mills County
Road 433 and San Saba County
Road 137, both gravel roads, near a small community called Regency. The bridge saddles Mills and San Saba counties.
The bridge has a span of 325 feet (99 m) and a wood surface. It was built in 1939, with most of the work being done by hand. The bridge was restored in 1997, with then-Governor Bush
attending the rededication service. This was a major event for the community of around 25 people.
Vandals
set the wood surface on fire on December 29, 2003 http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2004-03-05/cols_daytrips.html, burning a hole in some planks. The bridge has since been repaired and reopened to traffic.
A nearby historical marker
, located on the southeast side of the intersection of FM
574 and Mills County Road 433 (which is just east of the intersection of FM 45
and FM 574) reads:
This area's first Colorado River bridge was at Regency, on Mills-San Saba County line. Built 1903, it served ranchers and farmers for going to market, but fell in 1924, killing a boy, a horse, and some cattle. Its successor was demolished by a 1936 flood. With 90 per cent of the work done by hand labor, the Regency Suspension Bridge was erected in 1939. It became the pride of the locality, and youths gathered there in the 1940s to picnic, dance, and sing. Bypassed by paved farm roads, it now (1976) survives as one of the last suspension bridges in Texas.http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/viewform.asp?atlas_num=5333004235&site_name=Regency%20Suspension%20Bridge&class=5000
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
over the Colorado River
Colorado River (Texas)
The Colorado River is a river that runs through the U.S. state of Texas; it should not be confused with the much longer Colorado River which flows from Colorado into the Gulf of California....
in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. It is located at the intersection of Mills County
Mills County, Texas
Mills County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 5,151. Mills County is named for John T. Mills, a justice of the Texas Supreme Court...
Road 433 and San Saba County
San Saba County, Texas
San Saba County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Western Central Texas. In 2010, its population was 6,131. Its county seat is San Saba. It is named for the San Saba River, which flows through the county.-History:...
Road 137, both gravel roads, near a small community called Regency. The bridge saddles Mills and San Saba counties.
The bridge has a span of 325 feet (99 m) and a wood surface. It was built in 1939, with most of the work being done by hand. The bridge was restored in 1997, with then-Governor Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
attending the rededication service. This was a major event for the community of around 25 people.
Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
set the wood surface on fire on December 29, 2003 http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2004-03-05/cols_daytrips.html, burning a hole in some planks. The bridge has since been repaired and reopened to traffic.
A nearby historical marker
Historical marker
A historical marker or historic marker is an indicator such as a plaque or sign to commemorate an event or person of historic interest and to associate that point of interest with a specific locale one can visit.-Description:...
, located on the southeast side of the intersection of FM
Farm to Market Road
In the United States, a farm-to-market road or ranch-to-market road is a state road or county road which serves to connect rural or agricultural areas to market towns...
574 and Mills County Road 433 (which is just east of the intersection of FM 45
Farm to Market Road 45
Farm to Market Road 45, or FM 45, is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas that runs from US 190 in Richland Springs north to US 377 about 5 miles south of Brownwood...
and FM 574) reads:
This area's first Colorado River bridge was at Regency, on Mills-San Saba County line. Built 1903, it served ranchers and farmers for going to market, but fell in 1924, killing a boy, a horse, and some cattle. Its successor was demolished by a 1936 flood. With 90 per cent of the work done by hand labor, the Regency Suspension Bridge was erected in 1939. It became the pride of the locality, and youths gathered there in the 1940s to picnic, dance, and sing. Bypassed by paved farm roads, it now (1976) survives as one of the last suspension bridges in Texas.http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/viewform.asp?atlas_num=5333004235&site_name=Regency%20Suspension%20Bridge&class=5000