State Highway No. 78 Bridge at the Red River
Encyclopedia
The Highway 78 Bridge at the Red River is a seven-span through truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...

 over the Red River
Red River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...

 between Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

 and 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...

 on Oklahoma State Highway 78
Oklahoma State Highway 78
State Highway 78 is long state highway in southern Oklahoma. It runs from the Red River to Tishomingo. It has no lettered spur routes.-Route description:...

/Texas State Highway 78. It was built as a federal relief project during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

 as part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...

. Today the bridge and the area retain the look and feel of the time of its construction. As part of Highway 78 the bridge's average daily traffic (as of 2006) was 1,700 cars per day.

History

The State Highway 78 Bridge at the Red River replaced a suspension bridge that collapsed on January 15, 1934. The former bridge had been opened as a toll bridge in July 1927. It was purchased by Oklahoma and Texas for use as a free bridge. It collapsed in a storm after the swinging bridge's wire cables became twisted and snapped.

As a Federal Relief Project funded by the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933
National Industrial Recovery Act
The National Industrial Recovery Act , officially known as the Act of June 16, 1933 The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), officially known as the Act of June 16, 1933 The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), officially known as the Act of June 16, 1933 (Ch. 90, 48 Stat. 195, formerly...

 construction began on February 16, 1937. It was completed in 1938.

Architecture

The Oklahoma Highway Commission designed the bridge. Constructed in 1937-1938 by the Kansas City Bridge Co.
Kansas City Bridge Company
The Kansas City Bridge Company was a bridge building company that built many bridges throughout the Midwest in the early 1900s.The company was founded in 1893 and ceased business around 1960.-Bridges:Missouri River* Missouri-Kansas-Texas Bridge...

 of Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

. the bridge is designed as a rare example of a K-Parker through truss bridge with camelback pony spans.
The bridge consists of eight rivited K-truss through spans with two camelback pony truss spans at each end.

The Illinois Steel Bridge Company of Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,940 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County....

, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

was subcontracted to fabricate the trusses.

Overview

  • Length of largest span: 210.0 ft.
  • Total length: 2,108.0 ft.
  • Deck width: 24.0 ft.
  • Vertical clearance above deck: 15.9 ft.
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