The scenic crossing of the Sulphur River by the R.M. Hubbard Bridge on State Highway 8 between Douglassville and Maud is going to be an even more interesting spectacle in coming months and years.
Motorists along this route will see a single long, new bridge being built to replace two shorter ones at a cost of some $38 million and over a time period of six to seven years.
When completed, the Texas Department of Transportation project should be an impressive addition to the already pleasant and scenic drive that is Highway 8 looking to the west side as it curves over the Sulphur River and the beginnings of impoundment waters of Lake Wright Patman when looking to the east.
The new bridge, while being more impressive, will also be safer. The two current narrow bridges that connect Cass and Bowie Counties were built in the 1950s and are two-lane with no pullover space on the sides.
"They are narrow. We do not have shoulders on each side. If people had any problems with their vehicle crossing the lake, then they don't have any place to pull over and stop," said Marcus Sandifer, public information spokesperson for the Atlanta District of TxDOT.
"The current structures are 26 feet wide, and the new one will be 44 feet wide with two 12-foot traffic lanes and 10-foot shoulders on each side," said Paul Wong, area engineer for TxDot in Texarkana, in an earlier news release.
Still even now, driving over the bridges afford an artist's look at the river and lake. It is especially appreciated for the varying spacious scenes of lake water, changing land masses, boats, wildlife and wide skies.
A first stop on the Bowie side gives one an entry into the Mauldin Lake Park boat ramp and picnic area.
The bridge is named in honor of Robert Moss Hubbard (1876-1934) of New Boston, who represented District 3 in the Texas Legislature on two occasions 1929-1933. He had been named to the Texas Highway Commission in 1918 by Governor W. P. Hobby, served as chairman until 1925 and is credited for raising highway department standards.
The Hubbard home built in 1904 in New Boston is a recorded Texas Historical Landmark with its Victorian styling, eight irregular-sized gables and leaded glass in bay windows.
The 65-year-old bridge is not without its detraction. Motorists were always conscious of there being no place to turn to avoid an accident and with a sense of relief were glad to get across.
In recent years, two deaths were recorded at the bridge. In 2012, a car stopped to allow a larger vehicle to pass by and was hit by two motorcycles from the rear. Candi Frye Barnes, 52, of Atlanta died in that accident. In 2010, Jacob "Dude" Turner, 32, of Linden was killed when his vehicle left the bridge and plunged into the lake.
State Highway 8 begins in Linden at its intersection with State Highway 155, travels north across the lake, briefly turns west with U.S. Route 67 at Maud, then heads north through New Boston and on to reach the Red River and the Texas and Arkansas State line. The Longview Bridge and Road Company has the contract to build the new bridge. Completion date is set at 2026.