TXDOT offers timeline on rebuild of collapsed 2900 Bridge in Kingsland
Savanna Gregg/The Highlander
TXDOT officials recently added more fencing to cut off public access to the now-collapsed RR 2900 Bridge in Kingsland. In the wake of the bridge being swept away by flood waters, officials have revealed plans to start the process of repairing the structure as early as December.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) officials conducted a press conference in Austin Oct. 26, revealing the bridge could be completed as early as April 2019.
Connie Swinney
Staff Writer
Plans take shape to replace the collapsed RR 2900 Bridge in Kingsland, as Texas Department of Transportation coordinate engineering meetings, draft designs and seek an emergency contract to potentially begin the process in December, officials say.
On Oct. 16, flood waters from Junction swept into the Llano River eventually slamming into the Highland Lakes at the mouth of Lake LBJ, washing away the structure.
“We're going to be working under an emergency timeline which allows us to speed these construction processes,” said TXDOT spokeswoman Diann Hodges. “Obviously this is a priority for TXDOT that we get this bridge rebuilt as quickly as possible.”
The bridge was not only a main thoroughfare of the community in Llano County but also served as a venue for large-scale celebrations such as the annual AquaBoom Fourth of July event.
“I cried at first when I saw it gone, but then I was glad none of the residents were crossing the bridge. A lot of people use that bridge to commute,” said Wendy Sue Enloe Smith. “From my calculations there's been five floods.
“This is probably the worst since the last one in the early 1970s.”
Enloe Smith grew up in the area and recalled large events which continued up until this past summer.
“We did a lot of activities on that bridge. We do Aquaboom there,” said Enloe Smith, who was a member of her father's ski competition and exhibition team, Enloe's Outlaws. “My memory of doing all the ski shows was seeing the 2900 bridge, seeing it full of people.”
More so than the recreation value, area residents also raised concerns about emergency response and commute time issues.
“They want to get the word out,” Hodges said. “Part of us being able to get it moving forward is getting it under the emergency contract.”
