Congress Avenue Bridge
The Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas, crosses over Lady Bird Lake. The bridge once crossed the Colorado River, but was built on a lake created by the Longhorn Dam. Today, this bridge spans over Lady Bird Lake, which is a great place to go for a picnic. Here are a few things to keep in mind when visiting Austin. We hope this article helped you decide whether to go for a picnic, visit a historical site, or explore a new neighborhood. It is located at Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704.
During the bat's season, the bats on the bridge leave 30 minutes to an hour before sunset. However, their departure times vary from year to year, so it's best to arrive 90 minutes early to avoid missing them. This will give you plenty of time to see them before the sun sets. You'll be able to see them during the day, but at night you'll need to stay close enough to avoid them!
While many visitors come to see the beautiful architecture of the Congress Avenue Bridge, there's another reason to visit: the bats. Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. These Mexican free-tailed bats live in crevices underneath the bridge, consuming up to 15,000 pounds of insects a night. Every evening, hundreds of people gather at the bridge to watch the bats roosting.
During its weekly meeting on November 16, 2006, the Austin City Council renamed the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in honor of Ann Richards, a former Travis County Commissioner. The bridge also boasts one of the largest urban bat colonies in the world. In fact, the bridge's underside is home to up to 1.5 million bats, making it one of the most important urban bat colonies in the world.
Bats began roosting in the Congress Avenue Bridge in the 1980s. The population has since doubled and now exceeds 1.5 million. Visitors to the bridge to see the bats are an incredible free source of entertainment. This year's renaming ceremony has turned the bridge into a popular tourist attraction. You can also visit the bridge and watch the bats in flight! It's the perfect combination for both bats and Austin residents.
The first bridge in this location was built between 1869 and 1871. In 1895, the city agreed to repair the wooden toll bridge. The iron bridge was replaced with a wooden toll bridge in 1892. It was repaired several times and painted multiple times in the 1900s. However, as the population of Austin grew, it caused an increase in traffic on the bridge, prompting the construction of a new concrete bridge.
The Congress Avenue Bridge is home to the largest urban bat colony in the world. About 1.5 million bats roost below the bridge. Engineers did not know that these creatures would live under the bridge for years. It was only a matter of time before they began using new crevices beneath the bridge as a maternity roost. Bat conservation international recommends viewing the bridge during feeding times and gestation. In June, most bats give birth to their pups, which roughly doubles the number of the species.
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