The James C. Nance Bridge exemplified Oklahoma bridge building under New Deal federal aid programs, combining funds from the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 and the US Works Program Grade Crossing Program. Its construction cost $651,781. When it opened for traffic on August 11, 1938, it was the longest and highest deck truss bridge in Oklahoma. Spans from the former Warren Through Truss bridge, constructed in 1911, were dismantled and repurposed as single and mixed truss span bridges throughout Oklahoma.