The Colorado River Bridge at Regency (Regency Bridge), Circa 1939
Images courtesy of Aren Cambre of Dallas. Taken November 22, 2005.
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 CR433 and San Saba County Road CR137, 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 FM574 and Mills County Road CR433 (which is just east of the intersection of FM45 and FM574) 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.
Information courtesy of Wikipedia.
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| This map shows the location of the Regency Bridge. |
This is an aerial view of the bridge. |
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| Legend |
| LR = Low Resolution (Up to Approx. 750dpi x 500dpi) |
MR = Medium Resolution (Up to Approx. 2000dpi x 1360dpi) |
| HR = High Resolution (Up to Approx. 5000dpi x 3400dpi) |
UR = Ultra-High Resolution (Approx. 12000dpi x 8100dpi) |
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Photo #1
Weight limit sign on northbound San Saba CR137. |
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Photo #2
Another warning sign on northbound San Saba CR137. |
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Photo #3
Approaching the bridge from the south on San Saba CR137. |
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Photo #4
Looking north at the foot of the bridge |
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Photo #5
Looking north from from the base of the south towers. |
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Photo #6.
A little further north. |
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Photo #7
Looking northwest from the southeast side of the bridge.. |
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Photo #8
Another view from the southeast corner. |
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Photo #9
Looking northeast from the bridge. |
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Photo #10
Looking east down the Colorado River.. |
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Photo #11
Looking west up the Colorado River. |
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Photo #12.
One of the ties to the cables. |
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Photo #13
Looking up the southwest support tower. |
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Photo #14
One of the anchors. |
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Photo #15
Driver's view looking south. |
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Photo #16
Looking south at the south towers. |
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Photo #17
Driver's view looking south at the San Saba County end of the bridge. |
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Photo #18
Looking south on Mills CR433 from FM574. |
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