Once The Tallest Bridge In America, Texas’ Pecos High Bridge Was A True Feat Of Engineering

Did you know the tallest bridge in America was once right here in Texas? Before it was dismantled in the mid-1900s, the Pecos High Bridge stood at an impressive height of 322 feet. Today, we remember this remarkable feat of engineering and revel in the legacy the highest bridge in Texas left behind. Let's take a closer look at Pecos Bridge, the tallest bridge in Texas.

Once the tallest bridge in Texas - and the tallest bridge in America, as a matter of fact - the Pecos High Bridge was completed in 1892.

Better known as the Pecos Viaduct, the bridge served the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway (the first southern transcontinental railroad in the nation) until World War II, when a newer bridge replaced it.

The bridge was just over 322 feet tall, making it the third-highest bridge in the entire world.

It was a true feat of engineering; much less expensive and more functional than the first bridge spanning the Pecos River.

It took 67 people to build the cantilever bridge, and construction lasted just 103 days.

The final cost was around $250,000 - not bad for a 2,180-foot-long manmade marvel whose ironwork alone weighed over 1,800 tons!

The Southern Pacific Railroad built a station adjacent to the bridge in 1922, and it was around this time that officials realized the bridge could not continue to hold its weight under the rapidly increasing traffic load.

A site for the new bridge was chosen in 1942, and work began the following year. In December 1944, the 1.2-million-dollar bridge was complete, and it opened to rail traffic shortly thereafter.

Still in use today, and new and improved Pecos High Bridge has shown no signs of deterioration.

Although the original bridge was dismantled in 1948, its 56-year tenure is something to admire.

You can see the current Pecos High Bridge across the Pecos River Gorge, carrying the Union Pacific Railroad.

It isn't open to vehicular traffic, but it's still a sight worth marveling at.

Get more history about the Pecos High Bridge on the National Park Service website. Have you ever seen the tallest bridge in Texas in person? Tell us your thoughts in the comments! Head out on the road to see and maybe drive across more amazing bridges in Texas:

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