Mansfield Dam

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Mansfield Dam

Mansfield Dam is a dam located at 30.3923° N 97.9073° W (WGS 84 datum) across a canyon at Marshall Ford on the Colorado River, 21 km (13 miles) northwest of Austin, Texas. Built from 1937 to 1941 by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and the United States Bureau of Reclamation, the dam is 84.7 m high (278 ft), 2.16 km (7089.39 ft) long, and 64.9 m (213 ft) thick at the base. The concrete gravity dam with embankment wings and saddle dikes was designed to control flooding; to store 1.4 km³ (369 billion US gallons) of water; and to generate hydroelectric power (102 megawatts).

Originally called Marshall Ford Dam, the name was changed in 1941 in honor of United States Representative J.J. Mansfield. The reservoir behind Mansfield Dam is named Lake Travis. The dam is owned and operated by the LCRA.

A two-lane highway crossed the top of the dam, but traffic congestion brought on by the growth of the city of Austin and expanded popularity of recreation at Lake Travis forced the state to build a four-lane highway bridge on the downstream side of the dam. Traffic is no longer allowed on the road across the dam, except for service vehicles.