Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 30°15′41″N 97°44′43″W / 30.26126°N 97.74531°W |
| Carries | Motor vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles |
| Crosses | Lady Bird Lake |
| Locale | Austin, Texas |
| Official name | Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge |
| Other name(s) | Congress Avenue Bridge South Congress Avenue Bridge |
| Maintained by | City of Austin |
| ID number | TXNBI 142270B00425007 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch bridge |
| Material | Concrete |
| Total length | 945.9 feet (288.3 m) |
| Width | 60 feet (18 m) |
| Longest span | 119.1 feet (36.3 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | April 4, 1910 |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | Free both ways |
| Location | |
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The Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge (formerly known simply as the Congress Avenue Bridge) crosses over Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. Before construction of the Longhorn Dam was completed in 1960, the bridge crossed the Colorado River from which Lady Bird Lake is impounded. The bridge was known as the Congress Avenue Bridge from the construction of the first span across the Colorado River at that location in the late 19th century until November 16, 2006, when the Austin City Council renamed the current bridge in honor of Ann W. Richards, the 45th Governor of Texas and a long-term resident of Austin. The bridge is a concrete arch bridge with three southbound and three northbound vehicle lanes and sidewalks on both sides of the bridge.
The bridge currently serves as a habitat for the world's largest urban bat colony. This particular colony is a maternity colony, which means it provides a roosting place for pregnant female bats during the spring season. The females then raise their pups in this location from mid-summer to fall. Male bats are not present under the bridge until after the pups are born.