Regency Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free 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[1], 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.[2]
[edit] External links
- Historic Bridge Foundation's page on the Regency Suspension Bridge, with pre-vandalism photos.
- A visit the Regency Bridge on November 22, 2005 (scroll down about 2/3 of the article to see the bridge photos)
- Regency, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Entry at bridgemeister.com
