Here’s the story behind Fort Worth’s West Lancaster Bridge. WWII made it was it is today

Heading from downtown to the Cultural District? Do you brave West Seventh with all its lights and traffic? Or, do you drop down to Lancaster and cruise over Trinity Park on the West Lancaster Avenue Bridge – admiring the trees, the Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Bridge, and those enjoying the outdoors as you glide along? If you choose to drive over the park, you are taking advantage of one of Fort Worth’s few wartime construction projects.

Before 1939, using the West Seventh Street Viaduct was the only nearby place where someone could cross the Trinity River heading to Arlington Heights or points west. In 1937, Fort Worth pursued grade separation funds offered by the Texas Highway Department to build a bridge across the Trinity River and the Frisco railroad tracks over Trinity Park.

Everything went according to plan. The bridge opened on June 14, 1939, featuring handsome railings and terra cotta panels depicting the face and horns of Texas Longhorn cattle.

But the bridge still wasn’t fully functional. There was no paved road up the bluff to Summit from the eastern end of the bridge, so travelers had to jog to or from Seventh Street along Fournier Street. The bridge sat as it was for almost two years.

While city officials spoke about the importance of finishing the project, what finally spurred its completion was America’s looming entry into World War II. The war would require connections between Fort Worth’s rail terminals on Lancaster, the Army Quartermaster Corps Depot (QMC Depot) on Felix Street, the bomber plant, and military training camps in West Texas.

In the meantime, the bridge was even involved in a war training exercise in March 1942. One team tried to capture the bridge, while a second defended. Called the “Battle of Trinity Park,” the mock encounter resulted in a close victory for the defenders.

All of this was long before interstate highways. U.S. Highway 80 ran through Fort Worth on roadways largely knit together from existing city streets. It ran along Lancaster, cut north on Main Street, and then west on Seventh to Camp Bowie Boulevard. Something better was needed, and by connecting the stretch of Lancaster that ran just south of downtown with the West Lancaster Bridge, it could be had.

Much of the work on the connector involved cutting and filling the bluff to create a path at a grade that motor vehicles could use. Construction finally began in early November 1941, about the time that the QMC Depot and bomber plant were being built.

Finally, Fort Worth would have a good cross-town thoroughfare and a straighter route for U.S. 80. A Christmas gift to the war effort, officials dedicated the new connector on December 23, 1942. The first vehicles through the cut leading to the bridge were 10 trucks hauling supplies from the QMC Depot to military training camps in West Texas. Today, we have an easy connection – with handsome Moderne detailing – that makes getting to and around inner-city Fort Worth much more pleasant.

Carol Roark is an archivist, historian, and author with a special interest in architectural and photographic history who has written several books on Fort Worth history.