8. Wooden trestle bridge
Billy Moore, LCRA
History
10 Must See Bridges in the Hill Country
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Photo: Billy Moore, LCRA
During the construction of the Texas State Capitol, trains hauled granite used as building material out of Marble Falls. The wooden trestle bridge near Leander crosses the South San Gabriel River and brought building materials to the construction site. Once a train carrying some of the granite block building materials dumped its load over the bridge by accident. You can still see the rocks when you cross over the bridge.
The Austin Steam Train Association operates the Hill Country Flyer, offering a 66-mile round trip that includes the crossing of the bridge. Departing from Cedar Park on Saturdays, the train ride breaks in Burnet for a two-hour excursion before returning to Cedar Park.
9. East Sweden Bridge
Photo: Barclay Gibson
Crossing Onion Creek near Brady, the East Sweden Bridge provided an easy option for farmers to bring goods into the county seat of Brady. Now, only open to foot traffic, the bridge makes a picturesque spot to practice photography.
10. Faust Street Bridge
Photo: Larry D. Moore
One of the few wrought iron bridges built in Texas, the Faust Street Bridge in New Braunfels operated toll-free from its opening in 1887. Traffic flowing between San Antonio and Austin made this a convenient and sorely needed crossing location. Prior to the bridge’s construction, high waters forced people to wait for long periods before the water level receded enough to allow for safe crossing.
Grab your camera. Take a road trip. Check out a few of these historical beauties. It’s part of that thing that makes up the Texas Hill Country.
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