The Bluff Dale Bridge is a historic cable-stayed bridge (not a suspension bridge) located near Bluff Dale, Texas, United States. Built in 1891, the bridge spans across the Paluxy River. The road deck is above the river and held in place by fourteen cables attached to the towers made of iron pipe. History The bridge was originally constructed across the river on a dirt road that became Texas State Highway 10, which is now U.S. Route 377. In 1933, a new bridge was built to handle the increasing traffic on U.S. 377. The old bridge was relocated upstream in 1934 and extended from . The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 20, 1977. The bridge is on Preservation Texas' 2009 list of most endangered places due to its poor condition and lack of funds for restoration. It was closed to vehicular traffic in 1989 because of its advanced state of deterioration. Structure type Despite the name given in Historic American Engineering Record documentation, the Bluff Dale Suspension Bridge is actually a cable-stayed structure. Its deck is suspended from multiple layers of stay cables radiating from the towers, some terminating at the deck and others running continuously from one tower to the other. This pattern of cables was established in designer Edwin Elijah Runyon's first U.S. patent, . It is known as one of only two examples of Runyon's patents, along with the Barton Creek Bridge in Huckabay, Texas. Its hand-twisted wire cable and non-traditional use of wrought-iron pipe components make it a notable example of vernacular American bridge construction. See also List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Texas List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas National Register of Historic Places listings in Erath County, Texas Notes References External links Bridges completed in 1890 Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Cable-stayed bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Erath County, Texas Pedestrian bridges in Texas Former road bridges in the United States Historic American Engineering Record in Texas Relocated buildings and structures in Texas National Register of Historic Places in Erath County, Texas Wrought iron bridges in the United States 1890 establishments in Texas