The bridge, built in 1939, was restored 25 years ago and is a popular tourist destination for local residents.
Cheap thrills without the frills? The Regency Bridge is your destination.
Built in 1939 as a joint project between Mills and San Saba counties, the 85-year-old suspension bridge is the last one in the state still open to automobile traffic, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less exciting.
Chet Garner, host of the Texas travel show “The Daytripper,” estimated in a 2019 episode that the single-lane stretch could be at least 75 feet above the Colorado River — if not more.
“I don’t have a tape measure. Let’s just say 300,” he jokes.
The width from one side to the other is about 100 meters. The rough wooden boards that make up the road surface are evidence of the bridge’s regular use.
Warning signs indicate an 8,000-pound weight limit for vehicles on the bridge, and as you drive past that sign, you can’t help but wonder how much that car weighs.
The bridge was restored in 1999, and there is a private campground next to the entrance on the Mills County side. The Regency Bridge is about 20 miles from Goldthwaite, or just over 40 miles from Brady, and unlike the Abilene area at this time of year, the scenery on the way to the bridge is still pleasantly green.
The thrill of crossing the bridge undoubtedly lies not only in its height above the Colorado River, but also in the movement of the bridge arch during the crossing.
If you are standing at one end and someone else on the other side begins to cross the road, you will feel the roadway beneath your feet begin to rock up and down with the movement.
The effect is even more pronounced if you stand still while a vehicle creeps past. If you’re an old sea dog, you’ll feel your sea legs kicking in.
And the rest of us? Get ready.
