BRAZOS RIVER

Tributaries of the Brazos River arise just across the Texas border in New Mexico.   The river flows across most of the state of Texas, passing Brazos Bend State Park and the City of Brazoria before discharging into the Gulf of Mexico near Quintana Beach south of Freeport.

At 840 miles, the Brazos is the longest river in Texas, draining a watershed of 42,800 square miles.   Worldatlas.com cites it as one of the twelve "major rivers" of North America.

 
Map credit: U.S. Geological Survey, Texas Sites by Basin.

BRAZORIA BRIDGE

The Brazoria Bridge was constructed in 1939 and served the community for 70 years, carrying highways FM521 and SH322 acorss the Brazos River.   It was closed in 2010, when traffic was rerouted to a new highway bridge.   Ownership of the old bridge has been transferred to Brazoria County, which plans to integrate it into a new county park complex.

The bridge is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The water level of the river varies considerably, depending on upstream precipitation.   Some of the following pictures were taken during a period of high water.












Water level, normal and high.


Nearby abandoned railroad-bridge piling.


Nearby boat ramp.