| Bridge Name: | Wanette - Byars Bridge |
| Carries: | 1 lane of Drummond Road |
| Crosses: | Canadian River |
| Locale: | Wanette-Byars, Oklahoma |
| Maint: | McClain Co./Pottawatomie Co. |
| Design: | Camelback truss |
| Mainspan: | 265feet |
| Length: | 780feet |
| Coordinates: | 34.92°N -97.05°W |
| Old Santa Fe Railroad Bridge | |
| Coordinates: | 34.9203°N -97.0511°W |
| Architecture: | Camel Back-Through Truss |
| Added: | March 10, 2010 |
| Area: | less than one acre |
| Refnum: | 10000070 |
The Wanette - Byars Bridge is a long bridge in central Oklahoma. It crosses the Canadian River between Byars in McClain County and Wanette in Pottawatomie County. The bridge is on a county road, not a state-designated highway.
The bridge was built in 1902 by the American Bridge Company[1] to serve as a rail bridge connecting Pauls Valley with Shawnee.[2] It was later converted to a one-lane bridge for auto traffic. The bridge is of the camelback truss design and is composed of three spans, each 265feet. Each of these spans are the longest in Oklahoma.[1]
Until 1992, the bridge had a wooden deck. In 1992, the bridge's deck was destroyed by arson, closing it for two years. When the bridge reopened, it had a concrete and asphalt driving surface.[2]
The bridge is an oft-utilized link between Byars and Wanette. The two nearest bridges are between fifteen and twenty-five miles (24–40 km) away.[2]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 as Old Santa Fe Railroad Bridge and has also been denoted as Structure #63D3342E1446000 and as Flynn Bridge. It is a Camel Back-Through Truss bridge. It is 785feet long.[3]