Wirtz Dam bridge

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

On Wednesday the final report of the Wirtz Dam study by the Capitol Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) was released online, with tabulations of those 18 community meetings, 848 completed surveys and 812 comments.

“It was a positive, strong response,” said Burnet County Judge James Oakley, a member of the board of directors of CAMPO. “We had a first reading of the report last month and it will come back to the Transportation Policy Board on Feb. 13.

By Alexandria Randolph

Highland Lakes Newspapers

While ecological concerns were at the forefront of comments in the first public meeting for the Wirtz Dam Bridge, economic questions and survey fairness seemed to be the primary concern at the second meeting.

The meeting was conducted by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) and, as of Nov. 3, CAMOP hd received “almost 500 surveys and about 500 comments” from citizens about the bridge, said

CAMPO Public Information Officer Doice Miers.

According to the results, 35 percent of survey takers said the greatest transportation need is bridges and river crossings.

“Eighty-two percent said the Wirtz Dam Bridge would be beneficial,” she said.

Highland Lakes residents have only a few weeks left to submit opinions regarding the project; the final public meeting will be held on Nov. 21, and the online survey will close on Nov. 27.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The idea of a bridge across the Colorado River below Wirtz Dam met serious questions Wednesday, Oct. 26, at an open house hosted by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) in Horseshoe Bay.

More than 50 area residents came to hear a presentation by Burnet County Judge James Oakley, who sits on the CAMPO board, and to share their own opinions on the proposed project.

Cottonwood Shores City Council Member Roger Wayson had one of the longest list of doubts to express.

County Road 426 would connect Wirtz Dam Road with Ranch to Market Road 2147 if the bridge were constructed.

“It would come right past our nature preserve,” said Wayson. “It would be destructive to our eco-system...Traffic would go from 50 a day to thousands a day.”

“It would divert traffic from the commercial area we are trying to develop,” he also claimed.

A new bridge across the Colorado River below Wirtz Dam will be the topic of a public open house Wednesday, Oct. 26.

The meeting will be held from 4-7 p.m. at Quail Point Community Center, 107 Twilight Lane, in Horseshoe Bay.

It is one in a series of outreach programs being conducted by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) to gather public opinion about the proposed project.

Another is scheduled for the same time period on Thursday, Nov. 3, at Lakeside Pavilion at 307 Buena Vista Drive in Marble Falls.

After an initial meeting with civic leaders, CAMPO began to concentrate on the general public last month, attending

Everyone in the Highland Lakes area also is invited to take a survey to add to data on the project. Copies of the survey will be available at the public meetings and online at www.CAMPOtexs.org/wirtzdam.

By Alexandria Randolph

Highland Lakes Newspapers

Residents and commuters now have opportunity to weigh in on the proposed Wirtz Dam, a transportation project that has been in the making since 1974.

The community outreach program for the dam project, which began in September, is the culmination of years of anticipation for Burnet County officials.

“This was on the 1974 Burnet County Transportation Plan,” said Joe Don Dockery, Burnet County Precinct 1 commissioner.

The next step wasn't completed until 2005, when a feasibility study was completed indicating that a bridge at Wirtz Dam would be beneficial to the community.

Following a meeting conducted by CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) on Sept. 9, the campaign for public opinion regarding the Wirtz Dam Bridge is officially underway.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The possibility of a Colorado River bridge below Wirtz Dam clearly is gathering a head of steam and John Q. Citizen is about to weigh in on the project.

In a meeting conducted by the Capitol Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) Friday, Sept. 9, in Marble Falls City Council chambers, Burnet County governmental leaders and first responders were enthusiastic. Now, CAMPO is beginning a campaign to inform the public and gather opinions from residents, owners of property and businesses and from lake users.

A bridge below Wirtz Dam to connect north-south traffic between Ranch to Market Roads (RM) 1431 and 2147 has been a long-held priority of County Judge James Oakley.