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The Wil-Cox Bridge

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Located at North Carolina's most historic river crossing is one of the state's most historic bridges.  The concrete open-spandrel seven arch Wil-Cox Bridge that carried the southbound lanes of US 29/70 over the Yadkin River has connected Davidson and Rowan Counties since 1924.  The location of the bridge is known as 'The Trading Ford.'  The Trading Ford has seen over five centuries of American cultural, industrial, military, and transportation history.  From Indian trading paths, failed colonization by the Spanish, travels by troops in the American Revolution and Civil War, to a site of numerous ferries and bridges, the land around the Trading Ford is an important part of North Carolina history.
 

The Wil-Cox Bridge is the third of six non-rail spans to cross the Yadkin at the Trading Ford.  The first two were built on the same set of piers (photo below) upriver.  The first crossing, built in 1818, was designed by legendary designer Ithiel Town.  Known as Beard's Bridge, named after Lewis Beard, who contracted Town to build the structure, the Town Lattice Truss bridge would stand for many years.  However, Beard's Bridge would fall into disrepair after the Civil War.  The next bridge, a one-lane toll facility known as the Piedmont Toll Bridge, was built on the same piers and foundation as the Beard Bridge.  The Piedmont Toll Bridge would last until the opening on the Wil-Cox Bridge. (1)
 

A significant crossing in the heart of the Piedmont, the Wil-Cox Bridge was appropriated for construction in the NC Highway Act of 1921 (2).  Construction would begin immediately, and the bridge would open in 1924 at a cost of $212,000 (3).  The bridge carried the Central Highway, NC 10, which would later become US 29/70 over the river.  The bridge is one of only six of its style remaining in the state.  It is nearly 1,300 feet in length and consists of seven 150 foot long open-spandrel arches.  The bridge's odd name comes from the two highway commissioners from the two regions the bridge connects - W.E. Wilkinson of Charlotte and Elwood Cox of High Point. (2)
 

After years of increasing traffic, a second crossing was built between the Wil-Cox bridge and the railroad bridge in 1951.  The new bridge carried northbound traffic towards Lexington and the Wil-Cox southbound traffic to Spencer and Salisbury.  Later, a fifth bridge to cross the Yadkin was finished in 1960 when Interstate 85 was completed in the area.

Since then, traffic on Interstate 85 increased to where the 1960 crossing was rendered obsolete.  After years of funding and other difficulties, a set of twin spans carrying Interstate 85 opened in 2012 and 2013, respectively.  The bridge was part of an overall widening and improvement project on I-85 that saw the highway go from four to eight lanes.  The ninety-year-old WIl-Cox Bridge was planned to be demolished as part of the Interstate project.  However, a local group called "The Bridge Group" was successfully able to lobby the state for the bridge's preservation as a regional historical artifact.  The bridge is now a pedestrian bridge within the Yadkin River Park.  Yadkin River Park officially opened in June 2019.
 
Photos above taken by post author, January 2021
Below, photos taken by post author - January 2005:

Stone bridge pier remnants of the 1818 Beard Bridge and 1899 Piedmont Toll Bridge

The Wil-Cox Bridge spans the Yadkin River


A close-up of one of the seven open-spandrel arches on the Rowan County side of the bridge

Another look at the bridge from Davidson County across to Rowan County.

Two fisherman enjoy a quiet New Year's Day afternoon near the Wil-Cox Bridge

Heading South on US 29 over the narrow travel lanes of the Wil-Cox Bridge

Sources & Links:

  • Yadkin River Park & Wil-Cox Bridge ---Carolina Crossroads
  • (1) Brownlee, Ann.  "The Yadkin's First Bridges." Trading Ford on the Yadkin. http://www.tradingford.com/townbrid.html (April 17, 2005)
  • (2) Gettys, Buddy. "Wilcox Bridge: Will it be a Casualty of Progress?" The Salisbury Post. July 27, 2004.
  • (3) Turner, Walter R.  Paving Tobacco Road: A Century of Progress by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Raleigh: North Carolina office if Archives and History, 2003. 21. 
  • Bridge Basics @ Pghbridges.com ---Bruce Cridlebaugh
  • Trading Ford on the Yadkin ---Ann Brownlee
  • History of the Town of Spencer ---gorowan.com

    • Update Log:
    • April 24, 2005 - Page first uploaded to gribblenation.com
    • September 2005 - June 2009 - minor updates
    • July 29, 2016 - Page moved to gribblenation.net
    • February 20, 2021 - Added photos from January 2021 visit, cleaned up spelling, grammar, links, and added some new information.
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