Mansfield Dam (formerly Marshall Ford Dam) is a dam located on Lake
Travis across a canyon at Marshall Ford on the Colorado River, 13
miles (21 km) northwest of Austin, Texas. Construction of the dam
began in 1937 and was completed in 1941 as a joint project by the
Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and the United States Bureau
of Reclamation. 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.
Mansfield Dam is 278 feet (85 m) high, 7,089 feet (2 km) long,
and 213 feet (65 m) 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).
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.
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