Old Bridge Gets a New Life in Hydro
by Rhys Martin
Around 2006, an old single-truss pony bridge west of Lucille’s Historic Service Station in Hydro was decommissioned. It had served old Route 66 faithfully since 1930, but its time as a part of the famous road was over.
Normally, this means the steel is torn asunder and scrapped. But that’s not what happened in Caddo County, not this time. A local family stepped up and said they would take ownership of the bridge. Allen Entz didn’t know what he would use it for, exactly, but it was a part of history that he didn’t want to lose.
For nearly 20 years, it sat on the Entz’s property as a dream. Now, with the Route 66 Centennial fast approaching, it is returning to the Mother Road.
Photo courtesy of the Hydro Route 66 Bridge Facebook page.
The Town of Hydro and other partners gathered together and presented a plan to Oklahoma’s Project 66 Commission for a roadside park. Hydro is one of those towns where Main Street sits just a little bit off of the highway proper, so giving travelers a reason to stop also gives them a reason to check out their downtown. Their plan was funded with a grant and on February 6th, 2025 a groundbreaking was held to formally start the construction of Hydro’s park on Route 66.
The park will sit at the four-way stop that marks the entrance to Hydro. That land, by the way, was also donated by the Entz family. Additionally, a portion of the grant money is going to help update the Hydro Community Building in town and create a Cow Food Vending Machine nearby. More to come on that in a future article!
Several members of the Project 66 Commission, along with other local and regional dignitaries, joined the Entz family in grabbing a ceremonial shovel and turning a little dirt to mark the occasion. The park is expected to be completed in time for the 2026 Centennial, which is expected to bring tens of thousands of travelers from around the world to Oklahoma and the other seven states that carry a piece of Historic Route 66.
The crowd poses for a photo in front of the 1930 truss bridge. Photo by Julie Lenius.
For more information about the Project 66 Grant, take a look at the details at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce site here. And stay tuned, more projects across the state are underway as we prepare for 2026.
Special Thanks to Jim Ross for his Route 66 bridge research, which provided the details for the span’s history!
