COUNTY OKS BRIDGE RESTORATION The Facts : February 11, 2010 The Facts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- County OKs bridge restoration By John Lowman The Facts Published February 11, 2010 ANGLETON — Money initially slated to help pay for demolition of the Highway 332 bridge over the Brazos River at Brazoria could now be used to begin restoring the 70-year-old structure. Brazoria County commissioners Tuesday approved an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation to use $490,000 to help turn the bridge into part of a hike-and-bike trail and possibly a park. The agreement is a step in the process of preserving the bridge, said Lawrence Heckathorn, area engineer with the highway department. “It will still have to be signed off on by TxDOT,” Heckathorn said. “The county would determine what kind of refurbishing and upgrading they would perform.” Since the bridge is one of the oldest structures in the county, it merits preserving, former County Judge John Damon said. Built in the 1930s, it is best-known by its nickname, “The Bridge to Nowhere.” “We have so very little of historic importance in Brazoria County that’s been maintained,” Damon said of the bridge, one of five suspension bridges still in service in Texas. “We’re the cradle of Texas and the Brazos River had a great deal to do with the establishment of Texas, and our economy. It would be a travesty to take it down.” Work would be approved by the department and the county reimbursed by the state as individual projects are completed, Heckathorn said. The bridge will become county property, he said. It eventually will be a pedestrian and riding bridge with parkland to the east and beneath, and likely a county park of some kind, Pct. 4 Commissioner Mary Ruth Rhodenbaugh said. Fully refurbishing the bridge to vehicle standards would cost “in the $5 million range,” County Engineer Gerald Roberts said. The plan is not to bring it up to that standard, but to make aesthetic improvements such as adding lights, handrails, pavement and markings and to make sure the structure is safe, he said. “The $490,000 would be to upgrade the bridge for pedestrian use instead of vehicles,” Roberts said. “There are some structural components that need to be addressed.” Vehicle traffic will be moved by this summer to a bridge under construction beside the old span. Although the old bridge is corroding, it will serve well as a pedestrian structure, said Roberts, a former Brazoria mayor. The bridge last was painted in the 1970s, County Judge E.J. “Joe” King said. While the rusting metal will need to be coated again soon, no time frame is set, Roberts said. “Those things would have to be determined in the future,” he said. “There are some questions on what it will cost to maintain this bridge.” Pct. 2 Commissioner Matt Sebesta said the bridge is a “phenomenal asset” to the county, but it eventually will need work beyond the $490,000. “The corrosion is not going away,” he said. “We’re going to have to do something in the next three to six years or what could be one of the best historical assets to this county 20 to 25 years from now could be a great liability.” Brazoria County Parks Director Richard Hurd said the bridge probably will qualify for various improvement and maintenance grants. “As a hike-and-bike trail, it will offer a lot of opportunities for tourism and ecotourism,” Hurd said. “… It will be a great opportunity for grant funds … and park development.” Several residents, including area historians Bob Schwebel, Esther Biggers and Beverly Nixon, spoke in favor of preserving the bridge. “I’m excited about being able to save this bridge,” Nixon said. “This is a wonderful project we’re doing in Brazoria. I visualize this bridge not only as a place people can walk out on, but I visualize shops going down into the park. It’s going to be great.” John Lowman covers Brazoria County for The Facts. Contact him at 979-849-8581. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2010 The Facts