photo by Ted Eubanks
Few of the thousands who traverse each day the West 6th Street bridge over Shoal Creek realize how old it is, or its historical importance to Austin. At 127 years old, it predates the Capitol Building, and when it was hand built in 1887 using local limestone, it opened up west Austin for development and city expansion. The bridge may be one of Austin’s most significant yet unknown historic, architectural and engineering landmarks. For these reasons, it was recently inducted into the National Register of Historic Places, commemorated officially with a plaque dedication ceremony on January 30. To learn more about the Shoal Creek Conservancy’s effort to restore this Austin gem, visit: www.shoalcreekconservancy.org/bridges/
photo by Ted Eubanks
