The mass-produced metal-truss bridges of the late 19th century were a remarkable technical innovation which made rural travel safer and led to the replacement of the majority of the earlier wooden covered bridges. Although sturdy and easily maintained, most of these graceful structures are too narrow to meet today’s safety standards and are in turn being supplanted by wider concrete bridges. Among the state’s best surviving examples of metal-truss bridges is the Nokesville Truss Bridge in Prince William County, manufactured in 1882 by the Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburgh, a pioneer in metal truss technology. The bridge consists of a single-span through-Pratt truss employing wrought-iron members. The Nokesville Truss Bridge was erected to carry Aden Road (Route 665) across a line of the Southern railroad, and at the end of the 20th century it was still owned by the Southern Railway system.