WACO, Texas — If you're a resident in Waco or just a passerby wandering about within the Waco city limits then you've probably seen the historic Waco Suspension Bridge standing strong.
But, did you know the oldest bridge over the Brazos River could tell a rich history that dates all the back to the late 1800s?
Here are five things you didn't know about the Waco Suspension Bridge:
1. At the time of its completion in 1870, it was the longest single-span suspension bridge west of the Mississippi
“As the first bridge over Brazos and the earliest example of permanent bridge construction, the Waco Suspension Bridge was a major technological feat that influenced Texas bridge building for debates to follow,” the Texas Department of Transportation wrote in a 1996 survey of Texas bridge history.
According to the Waco Tribute-Herald, San Antonio and Dallas followed behind with engineered metal bridges of their own.
2. It was once a toll-road
According to the Texas Historical Commission, a large numbers of cattle moving along the Chisholm Trail were forced to cross the Brazos River in Waco and the bridge made the feat a lot easier for those who could pay.
The toll didn't last. The company that owned the bridge sold it to McLennan County, which in turned sold it to the City of Waco transitioning it to a free bridge, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald.
The bridge was built with cable supplied by the John Roebling Co., who built the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, wires had to be shipped from New Jersey to Galveston and by train to Bryan and lastly overland by oxcarts to Waco.
The project was one of kind especially in defeated post-civil war Texas.
3. The bridge was once apart of the Chisholm Trail crossing
"This bridge is more than a park. It really is the heart and soul of our city and if you go back 150 years when it was first built and used with the Chisholm Trail, cattle crossings, and even to this day with weddings, people just strolling with their families, picnicking, and walking, and it's also a big part of the major events we have here," according to Jonathan Cook, the city's parks and recreation director.
4. It had the nickname the "Swinging Bridge"
In an 1987 interview on Vivienne Malone-Mayes completed by Baylor University, Malone-Mayers recalls the bridge swaying back and forth as she crossed it when she was a student in the 1940s.
5. The bridge was almost torn down
According to the Waco Tribute-Herald, city officials were undecided on whether to tear the bridge down or renovate it. In the end, officials decided to renovate and hired the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Co.
The bridge is currently undergoing renovations.
The bridge today
The historic Waco Suspension Bridge will be temporarily closed to the public for renovations.
The closure is part of a $12.4 million renovation project renovation project, according to Cook.
"It's really an iconic project for us here in Waco," Cook said, "and something that goes back almost a decade as far as the planning process and what it's going to tell."
The 150-year-old landmark will undergo a major renovation to preserve the bridge, which includes the steel cables, decking, railing and painting.
Waco Mayor Dillon Meek says the city anticipates the completion and reopening of the bridge in Spring 2022.