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LAMAR-MCKINNEYSTREETVIADUCT AERNo .TX-90ContinentalStreetViaductTexasHistoricBridgesRecordingProject ISpanningtheTrinityRiverat ContinentalStreet t-lcDallas 1 \/DallasCounty"*Texas 7 bA

PHOTOGRAPHSWRITTENHISTORICALANDDESCRIPTIVEDATA

HISTORICAMERICANENGINEERINGRECORDNationalParkServiceU.S.Departmentof theInterior1849Ct.NW Washington,DC 20240

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HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERINGRECORD LAMAR-McKINNEY VIADUCT(ContinentalStreetViaduct) HAER No.TX-90

Location:

DateofConstruction: Designer:Builder/Contractor:PresentOwner :PresentUse :Significance:

Historian:ProjectInformation:

Spanning TrinityRiverat ContinentalStreet,Dallas,DallasCounty,TexasUTM:14/704240/3628300 USGS Quad:Dallas,Tex.ca .1931FrancisDeyHughes,consulting engineer,Dallas,Texas.L.H.LacyCompany,Dallas,Texas.DallasCounty Roadway bridgeA majorviaductovertheTrinityRiverin Dallas,th ebridgewasoneelementofacomprehensiveleveeand viaductconstructionplandesigned to eliminateth eTrinityRiver as abarrierto transportation an dcommunication whilealsocontrollingperiodicflooding.trepresents th eworkofan important bridgeengineerwhohelpedtransform th eurbanlandscapeof th eDallas-FortWorthmetropolitanarea.RobertW .Jackson,Ph.D.,August2000Thisdocumentwas prepared as part of th eTexasHistoricBridgesRecordingProjectIIperformed duringth esummerof2000by th eHistoricAmericanEngineeringRecord (HAER).Theprojectwas sponsoredby th eTexasDepartment ofTransportation (TxDOT),EnvironmentalAffairsDivision.

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LAMAR-McKINNEY VIADUCTHAER No.TX-90 (Page2)INTRODUCTION

TheLamar-McKinney Viaductison e offourhighwayviaducts builtin th eearly1930sas partofaplan to relievetrafficcongestiononth eDallas-OakCliff(HoustonStreet)Viaduct,which had servedsince1912as th eonly reliable,all-weatherroad crossing of th eTrinity RiveratDallas.Alongwithth eCommerceStreet,CadizStreet,an dCorinthStreetviaducts,thethreeotherbridgesfunded byabond issueapprovedby votersin1928,th eLamar-McKinney Viaductrepresentsanotablevictory in Dallas'slongbattleto overcometh ephysicalbarrierof theTrinityRiver.1 It has often beensaid thatthereisno particular reason fo rth eexistenceofDallas,atitsparticular location,otherthan th epresence ofalow watercrossing of th eTrinityRiver near th efuturesiteof th eCommerceStreetViaduct.TheAmerican Indianinhabitantsof th eregion had long used thiscrossing beforeitwas developedas aferry terminusin1848byDallaspioneerJohn Neely Bryan.ouryearslater,Bryansold al lofhisinterestin Dallasrealestatean dhis ferryfranchiseto Alexander Cockrell,an entrepreneurwhofirstarrived in Dallastheyearth eferryservicebegan.Becausetheferry was slowan d unreliable,Cockrellformed th eDallasBridgean d CausewayCompany late in1854to build atollbridgeat th esiteofth eferryterminus.Thiscoveredstructure,completedin1855,was approximately5 2 0 * longan dconstructed ofre d cedar.NeitherCockrellnorhis bridge,however,wouldsurvivethedecade.Cockrellwas slainin ashootoutwith th ecity marshallin1858,an dafew monthslaterthebridgecollapsed duringaflood.Fortunatelyfo rDallas,Cockrell 'swidow,Sarah,possessed a measure ofenergyan dambitionequalto thatofherhusband.he reintroducedferryservicewhileplanningfo rth eeventualbuilding ofanotherbridge,and,despiteconsiderableopposition,obtained acharterfo rtheDallasBridgeCompany (a differentcompanythanthatformed by herhusband)from thestatelegislatureon9February1860.Her plansto buildanother tollbridgewerepostponeddueto th eCivilWar,butby1871th edirectorsof th ecompanywereableto moveforwardan dhireacivilengineer named Wentworthto locate anew structureandsuperintenditsconstruction.By1872th ecompanyhad succeeded in erectingabridgecomposedof tw owrought-ironbowstringarches,one approximately140'longand14 fhigh,and th eotherabout160'long and 16 fhigh,which Wentworth placedat th esiteof th eformerwood bridge.2Purchased from th e

1 Therear eseveralhistoriesofDallas,each ofwhich seems to contradict informationfound in th eothers.Forinformationon Dallasin th enineteenth century,thisreporthas relied primarilyuponth efollowing sources:JohnH.Cochran,DallasCounty:A Record ofitsPioneersand Progress(Dallas:Service Publishing Co.,1928);A. C. Greene,Dallas:The DecidingYears-AHistoricalPortraitAustin:EncinoPress,1973);WilliamL.McDonald,Dallas Rediscovered: APhotographicChronicleofUrbanExpansion,1870-1925(Dallas:DallasHistoricalSociety,1978);and,JohnWilliam Rogers,TheLustyTexans ofDallas (Dallas:E. P.Duttonan d Co.,Inc.,1960).Other sources havebeen used,as noted in following citations.

2Sa m Acheson,"TollBridge of1872EndedFerry,"DallasMorning News(4 September1967);Cochran,DallasCounty;69 ;DarwinPayne,Dallas: An IllustratedHistory (Woodland Hills;Calif:Windsor Publications,1982),23 .

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LAMAR-McKINNEYVIADUCT HAER No.TX-90(Page3) Moseley IronCompany ofSt.Louisthrough amail-ordercatalog,thespanswereshipped downtheMississippiRivertoGalveston,transported by railto thenorthern terminusof theHouston& TexasCentralRailwayat Corsicana,and then carriedby wagontoDallas.3According to DallashistorianSam Acheson,thisbridge"provedapowerful,if littleremembered,stimulusin augmentingth egrowthofDallasas adistributingcenter,rankingnextin importanceonlyto th earrivalofthefirsttw o railroadsin1872-73."4Hefurtherstatesthatth ebridge"wasto proveavitaltradelinkfo rDallaswithal lof th eterritory south,southwest,and westas fa r as th e BrazosRiver."5However,as vitalto th elocaleconomyas th ebridge m ay havebeen,th efactthatit wasaprivately owned an d operatedtollbridgecausednosmallamount ofrancor among arearesidents.By December1881,citizenprotestsagainstth ebridge tollhad becomegreatenough to compelDallasCounty to appointacommittee to ascertainon whattermsth ecounty couldpurchasethebridge.Thecounty commissioners 'courtfoundthat Cockrell 'scompanyhad "failed toerectagoodan dsubstantial"bridgean d ordered asuit to befiledto revoketh ecompany'scharter.6In M ay1882,thecounty offered to purchaseth ebridgefo r$25,000 butth ecompanywanted $41,600.Thecomitymadeasecond offerof$37,500in July fo rth ebridgeandal lproperty ownedby th ecompany,and abond issueof$38,000fo rthatpurposewasapprovedin August1882.7Thebridge wasopenedto freeuse laterthatyear.8 Apparentlyfindingthisbridgeto beinadequate,th ecommissioners'courtawarded acontractfo r$9,875 to theMissouriValley Bridgean d Iron Works ofLevenworth,Kansas,in September1889,to erectanew bridgeatth efootofCommerceStreet,and alsoapproved an additional$600fo r"takingdownan d placing on highground" th eold bridge.9Despiteth etermsof thisfirstcontractwith MissouriValley,th ecountycontracted with N.O.McAdamsin August1890to remove th eold CommerceStreetBridge,and alsosigned anew contractwith MissouriValley to constructtw o bridgesusingth espans of theold bridge;on eto beerected north ofCommerceStreetacrossth eElm Forkof th eTrinity at Grauwyler,an d th eother to beerected

3 Photographsofthebridgeindicate thatit was based onpatented design ofZenasKing,who was an agentfo rThomasMoseley before establishinghis ow ncompanyin 1871.Although Moseley'sbridgecompany was locatedin New Yorkin1872,itmay be thathewas sellingKing'sdesign,an dothers,viaaSt .Louis-basedagentin1872.4Sa mAcheson,DallasYesterday(Dallas:SM U Press,1977),132.5Acheson,263.6DallasCountyCommissioners 'CourtMinuteBook2,325(20December1882).7 County Commissioners'Court,392(1 2M ay 1882);420 (2 0 July1882);43 1(2 2August1882).8 McDonald,DallasRediscovered,5.9DallasCountyCommissioners 'CourtBook 4,27 4 (2 0September1889).

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LAMAR-McKINNEY VIADUCT HAER No. TX-90(Page4) southofCommerceStreetatMiller's Ferry.10On15M ay1891,McAdamswas appointed by th eCommissioners'Courtto superintend th ebuildingofan approachto theCommerceStreetBridge.11tis probablethatthisappointmentwas fo rth ewestern approach,whichisrevealed by photographsto be along,slopingtrestlethatdropsfrom th eheightofth eriverspansto alevelevenwith th estreetsofOak Cliff.Asfirstconstructed,th enew CommerceStreetBridgewascomposed oftw osteelPrattthrough trussesandalongwood an d metalapproach trestle.treplaced th eironbridgeas th emainpublic road bridgeto OakCliff,asuburblocatedonth eoppositesideofth eriverfrom Dallaswhichwasannexed in1903.Alongwooden bridgewas alsoconstructed nearCadizStreet,an d th eZangBoulevardTurnpike,an earthen fillbridgewithasinglesteelspanacrossth eriverchannel,wasbuilt justnorthofthepresentHoustonStreetViaduct.TheCadizStreetBridge,th eZangBoulevard Turnpike,an dth ewesternapproachesofth eCommerceStreetBridgewereal lwashed awayorinundated by th efloodof 1908,leaving th eresidentsofOak Cliffonceagaintemporarilydependenton ferryservice.12 Itisuncertainhow long th esteelspansofth eCommerce StreetBridgewere in use,butat somepointaconcretebridgewas builtto replaceth emetaltrusses.nM ay1916,theCommissioners 'Courtbegansellingscraplumberfrom "theold CommerceStreetBridge," and in Julyauthorizedth ecountyengineer to sellold creosotedblocksfrom it.13nOctober,th eCourtadvertised fo rnew bridgepostsatCommerceStreet,butnoothermention was madeofspecificcontracts fo rnew construction.14In his1937application fo rregistrationto practice professionalengineering in Texas,GeorgeG.Wickline,w hohad been abridgeengineerfo rth eCityofDallasuntilSeptember1916,statesthatin thatmonth hebeganworkingas a bridgeengineerfo rth eCounty ofDallas.Healsoclaimscreditfo rth edesignan d supervision ofconstruction ofa"CommerceStreetViaduct."15tislikely thatth ereplacementof th eold steelspans by a new concretebridgetookplacesometimein1916,and thatGeorgeWicklinew as th edesignerofth enew bridgean d anynew approaches builtat thattime.

1 0Dallas County Commissioners'Court,436.11 DallasCounty Commissioners'CourtMinuteBook5,19(15M ay 1891).1 2Greene,40 ,114;MaxineHolmesan dGeraldD.Saxon,ed.,TheW PA DallasGuideand History(Denton,Tex.:UniversityofNorth TexasPress,1992),154-55;GeneWallis,"TheTrinity'sSwanSongSpree of1908," DallasMorningNews(18March1931).

1 3DallasCountyCommissioners'CourtMinuteBook16,40 (15M ay 1916)1 4DallasCountyCommissioners' CourtMinuteBook16 ,106.1 5 GeorgeG. Wickline,"Application For Registration ToPracticeProfessionalEngineering,"1937,on fileat TexasStateBoardofRegistrationfo rProfessionalEngineers,Austin,Tex.n1918,Wicklinebecameth efirststatebridgeengineer fo rtheTexasHighwayDepartment.

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LAMAR-McKINNEYVIADUCTHAER No.TX-90(Page5)Thisnew concretespanoverth e riverchannel,however,provided nosolution to th eproblem ofTrinity Riverflooding.Thatchallenge was m etin tw oways:firstwas th econstruction ofhigh-level,flood-proofviaducts,beginning with theDallas-OakCliffViaductin 1912;an dsecond was theconstruction ofaleveesystem duringth eearly yearsof th eGreatDepression.In response to th e1908flood,plansweremadefo rapermanentall-weatherviaductlocatedat HoustonStreetthatwould stretchovertheentirewidthof th eTrinityfloodplain.GeorgeBanneman Dealey,managerof th e DallasMorning News,was on eof th eleadersof thiseffort.ealeyhadseen theIntercityViaductin KansasCity in August1908an d envisionedasimilarstructureas th esolutionto hiscity'sproblemswith th eoft-flooded TrinityRiver.Helaunchedaseries ofarticlesand photographsto win publicsupportfo raviaduct,aprojectthat

was alsoactivelysupported byOak CliffpromotersCharlesA.Mangold an dJ.F.Zang.Eventually,DallasCounty voterspassed a$609,797bond issuein1909.16However,th ecampaignfo rthisviaductengenderedaconsiderable amountofbitternessand controversy, similarin natureto thedebate thatwouldlaterattendth e1929-34 construction ofTrinityRiverleveedistrictimprovements.Somecommentatorsassertedthatth etax burden createdby theDallas-OakCliffViaductprojectwould becomesuchan onerousburdenon th ecommunitythat"DallasCounty wouldn'tbefi tto livein."Asonechronicler ofth eefforthas said,"the magnitudeofitseemed to stunmany residentsofDallas.hey couldn'tunderstandmoneythatra nintosuchfigures,andcharges ofgraftwerefreely madean dhotly denied."Despitestrong opposition,construction beganonth eDallas-OakCliffViaductin October1910an d th e bridgewas officiallyopened in February1912.Thisapproximately5,106*long structure,hailed by thecommunityas th elongestreinforced concretehighwayviaductin th eworld,costapproximately $675,000.18In1909,at approximatelyth esametimethatplanswerebeing madefo rth eDallas-OakCliff Viaduct,th eDallasChamber ofCommerce established th eCityPlan and ImprovementLeaguean d hiredcity planner an d landscapearchitectGeorgeE.Kesslerto draftaplanfo rlong-rangecivicimprovements.essler,whow as born in Germany in1862an d broughtto Dallas byhiswidowed motherin1865,had drawnupaplanfo rth edevelopment ofKansasCity's park andboulevard system in1893.ealsodesignedandlandscapedth egrounds of th eLouisianaPurchaseExposition at St .Louisin 1904,th egroundsofFairParkin Dallas in1904,andprovided plansfo rseveralother citiesincludingCincinnati,Memphis,SaltLakeCity,and

1 6 David Dillon,"A Bridge Linking Dallas With It s Past," Dallas Morning News (3 April1986);Ernest Sharpe,G .B .Dealey ofth e Dallas News(New York:HenryHoltan dCo.,1955),145.

1 7 Landrum,LynnW.Dallas and Trinity (Dallas:A.H.BeloCorp.,1933),2.1 8 McDonald,William L.Dallas Rediscovered:APhotographicChronicle ofUrbanExpansion,1870-1925. Dallas:DallasHistorical Society,1978.227.

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LAMAR-McKINNEYVIADUCT HAER No. TX-90 (Page6)Denver.19

The primary aim of th eKesslerPlan was th eprevention ofuncontrollable flooding ofth eTrinityRiver.A secondarypurposewas theunification of thosepartsofDallasseparatedby th eriver.However,th eplan wasnotimplemented at th etimeof itsrelease dueto alack ofsupport.Manypeoplesimply believed thatitwas notpractical.Althoughth eDallasProperty OwnersAssociation askedKessler to updatetheplan in1919,th e plan languisheduntilsevereflooding in 1921and1922eventuallyled to th ecreationofafive-member boardin June1925.20Theboardwas headed byC.E.Ulrickson,and they werechargedwith recommendingameans ofimplementingsomeofKessler's plan.Thecommitteetookapproximatelytw o yearsto completethereport.21 It was becomingevidenttothecitizensofDallasat thistimethatincreasedtrafficbroughtaboutbyth erisein automobileownershipwas exceedingdesigncapacity ofth eDallas-OakCliffViaduct,thusnecessitating th econstruction ofadditionalbridges.Thisneed was m et bya$6,950,000 bond issueapproved byvoterson3April1928,which providedfo rtheconstruction offourroadwaybridges,locatedat CadizStreet(now Interstate35E),Corinth Street,CommerceStreet,and nearth e junctionofLamar an dMcKinneyStreets.22A streetcarviaductwas alsoapproved atthistime.The$6,950,000bondissuewas tied to alarger$23,900,000UlricksonPlan bond issue,whichcalled fo rcivicimprovementsoveranineyear period an dincorporated elementsof th eearlierKesslerPlan.23 Thecrux of th eUlricksonbond issuewas th estraightening of th eTrinityRiverand th econstructionoftwenty-fivemiles ofembankmentsapproximately30 'high and about1 5 4 * thickatth ebase.heseleveesweredesignedto controlfloodwaterstw oandone-half timesgreaterin volume than th erecord flood of1908.Thecityan dcountyformed th eFloodControlDistrict,responsible fo rconstructing th eleveesystem,with th ecityin chargeofunderpasses an dstorm drainage,and thecountyassumedth eburden ofpayingfo rth eviaducts.24Thissplitofresponsibilitiesledto problemswhenit becameapparentthatth eCityofDallasrevenue shortfallscausedbyth edepressionwould jeopardizecompletion of th eapproachesto th eviaducts.Asth ecity commissionchargedwith overseeingth e1930-31budgetcompletedits second overhaul ofthatdocument,it becameevidentthattherewouldhaveto beeitheradrastic

1 9 McDonald, Dallas Rediscovered.205;LisaC.Maxwell,"Dallas,Texas."inThe New HandbookofTexas,vol.3.ed .Ron Tyler(Austin:TexasStateHistoricalAssoc,1996),1081.20Payne,Dallas:An Illustrated History.23 .21 Landrum,Dallasandth eTrinity.8.22Charles.E.Gross,"AnnualReportofCountyAuditor,DallasCounty,1 August1928to 31July1929."23Holmesan dSaxon,W PA DallasGuideand History.55 .24BusinessWeek(1 2March1930),13.

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LAMAR-McKINNEY VIADUCTHAER No. TX-90(Page7) curtailmentofprogresstowardscompletionof th eUlricksonPlan,asharpcu tin citysalaryschedules,ora tax increase.Thisproblem wasmademoreacutebythefactthatth efour new viaductscould not be openeduntila$1,100,000pressurestormsewersystem wascompleted,tyingth ecityintoth eTrinitylevee.A groupof large propertyowners,opposingan yincreasein taxes,recommended thattheviaductsbeopened withoutcompletionof th estorm sewers.Communitymembers,including variousengineersan d Trinity Riverindustrialdistrictdevelopers, urged thatth elevee projectbecompletedas planned.Each pointedoutthatflooding of th eriverwouldalways bea problemifth esystem was notconstructedas designed.A budgetwas finally adopted thatprovidedfo rth eissuancean dsaleof$3,700,000ofUlricksonPlanbonds,including thosefo rth estorm sewers.25Thewisdom of thisaction was apparentwhenheavyrainsnorth ofDallasin January1932caused thewatersof th eTrinity to risenearlythirty-ninefeet,floodingcertainsectionsof th ecity an d cuttingoff th ealmostcompleted CadizStreetViaduct.Thefloodingwas caused by water pouring throughgapsin th euncompleted eastbanklevees.26 Constructionof temporaryearthenapproachesallowed th eCommerceStreetViaductto be opened brieflyfo rtrafficon24July1930,justtw odaysbeforeth eDemocraticprimaryelection at which CountyCommissionersJ.W .GillandGeorgeW .Ledbetterwereseeking renomination.Thepublichad becomeweary ofdelaysand unfulfilled promises regardingbridgecompletion datesan d were pressing officialsfo rrelieffrom trafficcongestionon th eDallas-OakCliffViaduct.Thecommissionershad theirpictures takenwith countyengineerA.P.Rollinsonth emorning of the24th and then motoredacrossth ebridge.Butshortlyafternoonatruckbecamestuckin th eloosedirtofth eeasternapproachan d th ebridgewas againclosedfo rtrafficuntilth een d of th eyear.27Noneofth ethreeotherviaducts,alloriginallyslated to beopened by th een dof1930,would becompleted untilafter th eCommerceStreetViaductwas in daily use.Thesebridges,whichare verysimilar in designand execution,wereeach constructedby adifferentcompany.All,however,weredesigned by consulting engineerFrancisDey HughesofDallas.Hughes,who preferred to beidentifiedduring his professionallifeas "F .D.,"wasbornin Sibley,Missouri,on13September,1872.Threeyearsaftergraduating from th epublic schoolsystem ofJacksonCounty,Missouri,hefoundemploymentas a rodman,levelman,draftsman,an d chief ofsurveyor's partyin th ecounty engineer'sofofficeKansasCity,Missouri.In about1895,headvancedto th e position ofofficeengineer,an d continued in thatcapacity until1897.From1897to1898heworked as adraftsman and estimatorfo rth eKansasCityBridgeCompany,occasionallydoingdesign work.ro m1898to1899,heworked as ashopdetailerand designerfo rth eClinton Bridgean d Iron WorksofClinton,Iowa,working onbridges,water

25DorothyDellDeMoss,"Dallas,TexasDuring the Depression: The Hoover Years,1929-1933"(M . A. thesis,UniversityofTexasat Austin,1966),36-37.26 DeMoss,"Dallas,",132.27AlbertJackson,"4 IdleViaductsMonumentsto EmptyPromises,"DallasTimesHerald(5 October1930).

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LAMAR-McKINNEY VIADUCT HAER No.TX-90 (Page8) tanks,and towers.AfterleavingClinton,hebrieflyworkedat th eLafayetteBridgeCompany ofLafayette,Indiana,asadetaileran dcheckeronroad an drailroad bridge designsbeforemovingonto theMidlandBridgeCompanyofKansasCity,Missouri,in1901.Whileat Midland hefunctioned as anassistantengineer,workingonalmostevery classofbridgeandstructuralwork,including roadan d railroad bridges,waterworks,an dpneumaticfoundations.Hetook coursesat Spalding Collegein KansasCity duringhisemploymentat Midland,including aspecialnightclassin mathematics,and hemay havealsobrieflyattendedLafayetteCollege(Purdue University) during his stay in Indiana.From1903to1904,Hughesserved as chiefengineer an dplantmanagerof thesmallfabricating plant ofSouthwesternBridgeand IronCompanyin Enid,Oklahoma.Afterthefacilitywentinto receivership,Hughesmoved to Roanoke,Virginia,wherehe workedas aspecialsquadforeman and checkerin th edrafting room fo rth eVirginiaBridgeand IronCompany.H is stayin Roanokewas shorterthan in Enid,and in1905he relocatedto KansasCity to workfo rIllinoisSteelBridgeCompany,whichhad itshomeofficeat Jacksonville,Illinois.Hughesspentmorethan nineteen yearsat thiscompany,which was his longestperiodofemployment byasinglefirm.ewas contractan d construction manager fo rallterritorywestofth eMississippiRiverand south ofth e MissouriRiver.After te n years in KansasCity,hemoved totheSt.Louisoffice,wereheservedas designengineer fo rboth th eSt .Louisand homeoffices.Hedesigned highway and railwaybridges,viaducts,millbuildings,auditoriums,mineframesan d tipples,an d foundries.From 1924to1926,Hugheswas chief engineer,secretary,an d generalmanager fo rConcrete& SteelConstructionCompany ofJoplin,Missouri,afirm thatspecialized in highwayan d building construction,and minestructures.He purchased an interestin thiscompanyin 1925butsold outin1926.From1926to1927,hewas contracting an d chiefengineerfo rPioneerConstruction Company ofKansasCity,Missouri.In1928,Hughesand wifeCalliemoved to Dallas,wherehe beganhis career as aconsultingengineer.Hughes maintained an officein KansasCity untilOctober1930,eventhough hehad an officein Dallas.During his careerasaconsultant,heworkedonth efollowing projects:

NationalAvenueSubway,Springfield,Mo.BentonAvenue Viaduct,Springfield,Mo. ArkansasRiverBridge,Sedgwick Co.,Ks.CorinthStreetUnderpass,Dallas,Tx..CadizStreetUnderpass,Dallas,Tx.OakesStreetBridge,San Angelo,Tx. TrinityRiverBridges(eighteen),TarrantCo.,Tx.BelknapStreetViaduct,Ft .Worth,Tx. TripleUnderpass,Dallas,Tx. T.A.T.shopan d hanger,LoveField,Dallas,Tx.

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LAMAR-McKINNEYVIADUCT HAER No.TX-90(Page9)

Hewasalsohired as aconsulting engineer to checkth edesignsofvariousprojects in Oklahomaan dTexas,an din April1935acceptedaposition withth eSt.Louis& San Francisco Railwayas specialdesign engineerfo rgradeseparationprojectsin FortWorth,Arkansas,and Birmingham. With no formaleducation in engineering,Hugheswas an exampleofatypeofengineerrapidlyfading from professional practice in th e1930s.Whereas mostofhis contemporarieshadeither an engineeringdegreeor at leastsomecollegecreditsin engineering,Hughesacquiredallofhis engineering education throughactualpracticeorprivatestudy.Helearned how to design bridges by workingfo rcompaniesthatbuiltbridges,thusbenefitingfrom atraditionofAmerican bridge buildingand designthatwas based on practicalknowledgederived from empiricalobservation ofwhatworked or didn'tworkin th efield.n thebasis of thispracticalknowledge,Hughesbecamean associatemember of th eAmerican Society ofCivilEngineersin1902,amemberin1912,and alifemember in1937.Hisapplicationfo rregistrationas aprofessionalengineerin Texaswas approvedbasedon his practicalexperience,an d hewas issued certificate number2372in April1938.28 In contrastto Hughes,theassistantengineerfo rthefourDallasviaducts,JeanHoward Knox,had formalengineering education.ereceivedaB.S.in mechanicalengineering from theUniversity ofIllinoisin1907,aprogram thatwas consideredto beon e of thebestan d mostprestigiousin th ecountry.After abriefstintwith th ePacific AppraisalCompanyofPortland,Oregon,Knoxwentto workfo rPortland ConcretePileand EquipmentCompany in Portland.Whileemployed by thisfirm from1908to1912,Knox workedon constructionan d design ofseawalls,docks,bridges,an dfoundations.Hewould laterclaim to havebeen construction engineerfo rth eDallas-Oak CliffViaduct,constructedbetween1910and1911(officially opened in February1912),althoughhisfirm isnotlisted as beingasub-contractor on theproject.From1912to1927,Knoxworked on avariety of road,bridge,dam,an d buildingprojectsin Illinois,Oklahoma,Georgia,Virginia,and Texas,andalsoserved duringWorldW arIin th eU.S.Navy CivilEngineeringCorps.n1927,hemoved to Dallasto begin along career as aconsulting engineer in th eDallas-Fort Worth area.n1929,th eyearthatth edesign contractfo rtheviaductswas awarded,Knox was listed in th eDallascitydirectoryat th esamebusiness addressas Hughes.econtinuedto shareofficespacewith Hughes,at differentaddresses,fo rseveralyearsafterth eviaductswereconstructed,eventhough hewas alsolisted in th edirectoryas being associated with th eengineeringfirm ofRollinsand Clinger.RobertH.Clingerwas appointed DallasCountyengineer in1925andserved in thatcapacityfo rmany years.Andrew P.Rollins becameassociated withClingerin1928,and both 28Mostoftheinformationconcerning Hughescontainedin thisreportisobtained fromhis1937applicationfo r professional registration in Texas,on file at the TexasState Board ofRegistration fo r Professional Engineers,Austin,Tex.Se e also Research Data,FortWorthand TarrantCounty,Texas(FortWorth:TexasWriter'sProject,FortWorthPublic Library Unit,1941),18297,20684,20776,21102; John F. Worley,ed.,Worley's Dallas (Texas)City Directory(Dallas:John F. Worley Directory Co.,1929), 41,1101,1263,an dsubsequent volumesfo r1930-35;The State ofTexasRegisteredProfessionalEngineers July1939 Roster(Austin:StateBoard ofRegistration fo rProfessionalEngineers,1939),47 ,an d subsequent volumes fo r 1940-46; Austin American Statesman, 3 July1953; Dallas Morning News,3 July

1953.

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LAMAR-McKINNEYVIADUCTHAER No.TX-90(Page10)Rollinsan dClinger werelisted onth econstruction plans of th efourDallasviaductsas "districtengineers." AfterassistingHughesonthedesignof thefourroadwayviaductsacrossth eTrinity,Knoxsecuredadditionalworkasaconsultanton th eDallasRailwayan dTerminalViaduct,th efifth projectfunded as partofth eUlricksonPlan bond package.Helaterserved as aconsultingengineer to th eDallasParkBoard,as aconsulting engineer and executivecommittee memberoftheOak Cliff-Dallas CommercialAssociation, as amemberof th eaviationand highwaycommitteeof th eDallasChamber ofCommerce,an d as amember of th eCity PlanCommission.Hewas amember ofseveralprofessionalsocietiesororganizations,includingth eAmerican SocietyofCivilEngineers.A streetin Dallasis namedfo rhim.29 In contrastto Knox,Hugheswas nearingth een d ofhis professionallifeby thetimetheviaductswerecompleted.ewas sixty-fiveyearsold in1938,when hereceived his certificateasaregistered professionalengineer in Texas,an d transferredhis registration to Amarillo,Texas,th efollowing year.n1940heagaintransferred his registration,thistimeto Austin,Texas,thehome ofhisson,FrankMillerHughes.30 Although hewas associated with th eDallasengineeringfirmofKochand Fowlerat th etime ofhis official retirementin1952,it appears thatheworked onfew largeprojectsafter1938.Hedied in1953an dis buriedin Austin,Texas.Theparticular element of interestin terms of thedesign selectedbyHughesfo rth eDallasviaductscenterson th esteelplategirder spansoverth emain riverchannel,whicharehaunched cantilevergirders200 ,-0 "longal lover,madeup of tw o 40'-0"cantilever armsan d a120'-0 W centerspan.Use ofavariabledepthsteel plategirder overth eriverchannelkeeps th egradeoftheviaductas low as possible,whilestillprovidingcertain minimum verticaland horizontalclearancesaboveth e high water mark.Anyonelooking at thesluggish andshallow TrinityRivermightquestion whetherit was,in fact,anavigablewaterway,butth eperceivedpotentialof th eriver as acommercialoutletto theGulf ofMexicoisoneof th eoldestand mostpersistentmythsin Dallas.hat visionwas verymuch alivein1929whenth especificationsfo rth eCommerce,Corinth,Cadiz,an d Lamar-McKinneyviaducts weredrawn up.Therefore,despite changes madein th eriverchannelas partof theleveeimprovement projectunderwaywhileth efourHughes-designed viaducts wereunderconstruction,itislikely thatHughesfacedessentiallythesamedesign constraintsas did th edesigners of theDallas-OakCliffViaduct.hecommunityhad notyetgivenuponthenotionthattheTrinitycould bemadenavigable,and thismeantthattherehad to beaminimum clearanceof th echannelspan.y usingavariable-depth,haunchedcantilever girder,Hughes

29MostoftheinformationconcerningKnox contained in thisreportisobtained from his1937applicationfo rprofessionalregistration in Tex.,on fileat theTexasStateBoard ofRegistration fo rProfessionalEngineers,Austin,Texas.eealso"BuildersofDallas-TheirCareers,"DallasMorning News,.d.,Bridgestheverticalfile,LocalHistoryCollection,oftheDallasPublicLibrary;an dJohnF.Worley,ed.,W orley'sDallas(Texas)CityDirectory(Dallas:JohnF.WorleyDirectoryCo.,1929),1263,an dsubsequent volumesfo r1930-35.30Frank MillerHughesinherited hi sfather'sloveofengineering,an d worked many yearsasabridge engineerfo rtheTexasHighwayDepartment.

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LAMAR-McKINNEY VIADUCT HAER No.TX-90(Page11 )provided acertain minimum clearanceabovehighwaterwithoutraisingtheoveralllevelof th eviaduct,whilealsosaving weightand material.Another element ofinterestin terms of th edesign of th esteelplategirder spansis thatth ecantilever armsarenotfixed totheadjoining concretegirders.Having anexpansion jointinstead ofafixed connection meansthatth esteelgirdersarestatically determinatestructures.Thus,th ecalculations necessary to determine stressesin thestructurear esimplified.If th eendsof th ecantilever armshad beenfixed,thusmakingth echannelspansstatically indeterminate structures,th ecalculations would havebeen considerablymore complex.However,th eload ratingfo rth e plategirdersin theconstant-depth portionof th ecenterspanislessthan one-third th eload ratingat th epieran d in thecantileveredarms.31Therefore,theadvantagesofthisdesign,in termsofsimplificationofmathematicalcalculation,areoutweighed by thelower loadrating factor.

Thebridgeiscomposed,from westto east,of tw o45'-0"spans,sixteen50'-0"spans,one120'-0" main channelspan,nineteen50'-0"spans,one45'-0"span,an dfivelO'-O"spansbetween th eleveean d th een d ofthebridge.Atth ewesten d of th ebridgeconcreterailswereoffse tapproximately8" from theedgeofth eroadway.Thisfeaturewas notreplicatedon th eeastend of th ebridge.D ueto th eduplicationofspansan dpiers,th ecostpersquarefootof th efourviaducts w as verylow,about$3.60 persquarefoot,including lighting an d paving.The bidsfo rconstruction wereabouttwenty-sevenpercent below estimatedcost.32Problemsin th econstruction ofapproachescaused by DallasCitybudgetconstraintsanddifficultyin obtainingright-of-way resultedin delayed openingsfo r all of th eviaductsfunded by th eUlricksonPlanbond issue.TheLamar-McKinneyViaduct,completedabout1931,wasprobably th elastof th efourviaductsto befinishedand th elastopen to traffic.TheLamar-McKinneyViaducthasbeenalteredthroughout theyearswith replacementsof th eroadway,removalof theoriginallightstandards,and periodicrepairsto theentirebridge.Thebasicstructure,however,isessentiallyth esameas erectedin th eearly1930s.tis significantas asurvivingelementofacomprehensivetransportation improvementan dflood controlplan,an d as an exampleofthework ofan important bridgeengineer who helped transform th eurbanlandscape of theDallas-Fort Worth metropolitanarea.

31Theinformation regarding theloadratinghas beenobtainedfrom CharlesE.Walker,P.E.,"StructuralRehabilitationReport,"12July2000,in thefilesofth eEnvironmentalAffairs Division,TexasDepartmentofTransportation,Austin,Tex.32 Engineering News-Record(1 6 June1932):850.

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LAMAR-McKINNEYVIADUCT HAER No. TX-90 (Page12 )

SOURCESCONSULTED Acheson,Sam.DallasYesterday.Dallas:SM U Press,1977.

"TollBridgeof1872Ended Ferry."Dallas Morning News,4September1967.AustinAmerican-Statesman,3 July1953."BuildersofDallas-TheirCareers."DallasMorning News,n.d.Bridgeverticalfile,LocalHistoryCollection,DallasPublicLibrary.BusinessWeek,12March1930.Cochran,JohnH.DallasCounty:ARecord ofit sPioneers and Progress.Dallas:ServicePublishingCompany,1928.DallasCountyCommissioners 'CourtMinuteBooks2,4an d16.DallasCountyCourthouse,Dallas,Tex.Dallas Morning News,3 July1953.DeMoss,DorothyDell."Dallas,TexasDuringth eDepression:TheHoover Years,1929-1933."M.A.thesis,University ofTexasatAustin,1966.Dillon,David."A BridgeLinkingDallasWith itsPast." DallasMorning News,3 April1986.Greene,A.C.Dallas:TheDecidingYears-AHistorical Portrait.Austin:EncinoPress,1973.Gross,Charles.E."AnnualReportofCounty Auditor,DallasCounty,1 August1928to 31July 1929."In th efilesofth eTexasDepartment ofTransportation,EnvironmentalAffairsDivision,Austin,Tex.Holmes,Maxinean dGeraldD.Saxon,eds.TheW PA DallasGuide and History.Denton,Tex.University ofNorthTexasPress,1992.Hughes,F.D."ApplicationForRegistration ToPracticeProfessionalEngineering,"1937.O nfileat TexasStateBoard ofRegistration fo rProfessionalEngineers,Austin,Tex.

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LAMAR-McKINNEY VIADUCT HAER No.TX-90(Page13)Jackson,Albert."4 IdleViaductsMonumentsto EmptyPromises."DallasTimesHerald,5

October1930.Knox,JeanH."ApplicationForRegistration ToPracticeProfessional Engineering,"1937.O nfileat TexasStateBoardofRegistrationfo rProfessionalEngineers,Austin,Tex.Landrum,Lynn W .Dallas and th eTrinity.Dallas:A.H.BeloCorp.,1933.Maxwell,LisaC."Dallas,Texas."In TheNew HandbookofTexas.Vol.3,ed .RonTyler.Austin:TexasStateHistoricalAssoc,1996.McDonald,William L.Dallas Rediscovered: A PhotographicChronicleofUrbanExpansion,

1870-1925.Dallas:DallasHistoricalSociety,1978.Miller,Shannon.Austin BridgeCompany and Associated Companies:TheFirstFiftyYears,1918-1968.Dallas:TaylorPublishingCo.,1974.Payne,Darwin.Dallas:A nIllustrated History.WoodlandHills,Calif:WindsorPublications, 1982.Research Data,FortWorthand TarrantCounty,Texas.FortWorth:TexasWriter's Project,FortWorthPublicLibrary Unit,1941.Rogers,John William.The LustyTexansofDallas.Dallas:E.P.Dutton and Co.,Inc.,1960.Sharpe,Ernest.G.B .Dealey ofth eDallas News.New York:Henry Holtan dCo.,1955.The StateofTexasofTexas RegisteredProfessional Engineers July1939 Roster.Austin:StateBoard ofRegistrationfo rProfessionalEngineers,1939.Wallis,Gene."TheTrinity's SwanSongSpreeof1908."DallasMorning News,18March1931.Wickline,GeorgeGrover."Application ForRegistration ToPracticeProfessional Engineering,"1937.O nfileat TexasStateBoardofRegistration ForProfessional Engineers,Austin,

Tex.Worley,John F.Worley'sDallas(Texas)City Directory.Dallas:JohnF.Worley Directory Co.,1929-35.