Jared Rainer and Brandon Chumley (bridgehunter.com) photo. The CR 1155 at Neches River Relief Bridge was part of the rural network of roads in Houston County linking smaller settlements to railroad shipping points.

The adoption of an historic bridge is available in Houston County. The historic bridge is located on County Road (CR) 1155 over the Neches River Relief.

The Texas Department of Transportation oversees its Historic Bridge Legacy Program, facilitating the adoption of historic bridges that outlive utility for vehicular service. All bridges available under this program are listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

The bridges are owned by TxDOT, cities or counties and merit special consideration of their potential for preservation in the community. The primary emphasis of the program is to find a new public use for the bridges, such as a hike-and-bike trail or a public park.

The CR 1155 at Neches River Relief Bridge was part of the rural network of roads in Houston County linking smaller settlements to railroad shipping points. The bridge lies at a crossing that was in use during the mid 19th century, and carried traffic from southwest Houston County to Alto and Rusk. Both towns were crossroads for several regional routes, while Alto also was a railroad shipping point on the St. Louis Southwest railroad.

The bridge is in poor condition due to localized severe rusting and damage to truss members. The steel railings on the bridge have minor to moderate impact damage in addition to moderate rusting. The bridge is not strong enough or wide enough to be used by local agricultural and logging industry traffic.

“This historic bridge will be removed and hopefully will find a new home where the public can enjoy viewing it and pedestrians will be able to use it,” said Rhonda Oaks, public information officer of the TxDOT Lufkin District. “Anyone interested in bridge adoption can go to our website and search 'adopt a historic bridge' in the search option or contact the Lufkin District office for more information.”

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