Facts
- Overview
- Swing bridge over Cow Bayou on Eastbound TX 73 in Bridge City
- Location
- Orange County, Texas
- Status
- Open to traffic
- History
- Built 1941
- Design
- Swing
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 153.9 ft.
Total length: 804.2 ft.
Deck width: 25.6 ft.
- Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +30.04500, -93.82083 (decimal degrees)
30°02'42" N, 93°49'15" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 15/420866/3324055 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Orangefield
- Inventory number
- BH 33302 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
- Inspection (as of 10/2006)
- Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Appraisal: Functionally obsolete
Sufficiency rating: 45.6 (out of 100) - Average daily traffic (as of 2002)
- 13,500
Comments
THIS OBSOLETE, OUTDATED BRIDGE NEEDS TO BE EVALUATED WITH TODAYS TRAFFIC LOADS AND CONGESTION AND AN UP TO DATE PLAN NEEDS TO BE INITIATED TO REPLACE IT WITH A SPAN SIMILAR TO THE ONE CURRENTLY BEING UTILIZED FOR THE SOUTHBOUND TRAFFIC. TRAFFIC HAS INCREASED TO THE POINT THAT IF IT WERE TO BE OPENED DURING PEAK TRAFFIC HOURS IT WOULD BACK UP TRAFFIC FOR APPROXIMATELY 5+ MILES RESULTING IN A COMPLETE SHUT DOWN OF TRAFFIC IN BRIDGE CITY. IF THE HISTORICAL FOUNDATION WANTS TO KEEP THE BRIDGE IT IS FEASIBLE TO PERMENTLY OPEN THE BRIDGE AND BUILD A NEW ONE OVER THE TOP OF IT. THE OPENED STRUCTURE COULD BECOME A FISHING PIER. THE PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY COULD BE RELOCATED TO CROSS THE SPANS NEEDING TO BE REMOVED FOR THE NEW BRIDGE SUPPORTS. THIS WOULD SERVE EVERYONES NEEDS.