Ferries and low-water crossings once did the work of the Paddock Viaduct, also known as the Main Street Viaduct, the reinforced concrete bridge spanning the Trinity River in Fort Worth, Texas. Imagine the days when low-water crossings and ferries were the only ways to cross here, the narrow link between the downtown area of Fort Worth and the northern sections of the city. In the 1890s a two-lane suspension bridge near this site proved inadequate for a growing community, and engineers from the St. Louis firm of Brenneke and Fay stepped in.
Their span was completed in 1914 and is notable as the first reinforced concrete arch in the nation to use self-supporting, reinforcing steel. The bridge itself was built in 1913, later renovated in 1965 and again in 1988, and recognized on the National Register of Historic Places on March 15, 1976. Its name honors B. B. Paddock, a former State Legislator and Mayor of the City (1980).
Transportation needs and engineering innovation met at this crossing, and your view now spans the Trinity River and the downtown area it links to the northern sections of the city.