TxDOT is about to kick off one of the Beaumont District's most talked about projects.
Later this fall, workers will get down to replacing the I-10 Neches River Bridge (Purple Heart Memorial) in Beaumont. The project includes replacing the entire bridge with a new one much like the Trinity River Bridge on I-10 in Chambers County.
But before any major work begins, crews must make sure the current bridge's riding surface can take the brunt of more than 70,000 cars and trucks traveling the bridge every single day. TxDOT bridge inspectors spent Wednesday checking out locations where any potholes could occur during the project. That's important because half of the bridge will handle all east and westbound traffic while workers remove the other half. The last thing TxDOT, the contractor and you, the motorist, want is a pothole on the bridge. That means really long delays while workers make repairs.
Making sure the riding surface is smooth and free from any potential problems means a quick and relatively hassle-free commute during the project.
As for the project itself, workers don't expect to tackle the bridge until later this fall. And when work gets underway, there will still be two lanes of traffic eastbound and two lanes of traffic westbound.
Safe driving,
Marc S.
How come Beaumont wont get a bridge like the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas Texas? This is our one opportunity to get it right. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI think you are really going to like the bridge that is being constructed. It will definitely be different than most bridges in the area. In fact, to give you an idea, it will look like the Trinity River bridge on I-10. And, it is suppose to have some really nice artwork to it.
ReplyDeleteMarc S
Why hasn't a by pass say from Rose City to Hwy 69 at Twin City been built? It would have cut down on the amount of traffic traveling in the construction zones while the Neches bridge is being rebuilt. It would also have provided an alternate route back in March when I-10 was closed for nearly 24 hours. If an approximately twenty mile elevated highway between Morgan City and Houma Louisiana swamps can be built why not build a by pass in Beaumont?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. A bypass crossing the Neches would cost probably close to $90 million. This is just an estimate. We would like to have another route built either upstream or downstream. The issue will be finding a place to connect and build the infrastructure to reach to bridge on both sides. Depending on the location, such a project could easily run well over $100 million.
ReplyDeleteEventually, we will build a new crossing. This, in fact, has been studied. It's purpose, of course, will have to be based on utilization on a daily basis and not solely on construction issue on the existing bridge.
Hope that helps. If not, leave another comment and we'll get back.
Marc S>
My thoughts are that if a by pass was built from the Hwy 69 - Twin City exchange area to somewhere near Rose City it would be used by Orange county students going to Lamar. Hazardous materials could also use this route and not be brought through the middle of Beaumont. The trucks would use the by pass then take Hwy 69 to I-10 to the western of the city. Workers from western Orange county that work at Exxon or the plants and businesses along the western Twin City Hwy or Hwy 69 (Cardinal Drive ) could also use the by pass instead of taking the Downtown or MLK routes or going all the way around I-10 back to Hwy 69.
ReplyDeleteI think that if a survey was conducted TEXDOT would be surprised at the amount of traffic that would be reduced over the Purple Heart Memorial bridge. I bet it would be reduced by nearly one third on a week day.
That's one area that has been considered. There is no doubt that traffic would use it. Especially those motorists you described.
ReplyDeleteWhile there will probably be another crossing at some time in the future, I can't say exactly when. The bridge itself would be a massive undertaking in that it crosses a navigable waterway and would have to be tall enough for shipping. That means a pretty tall...and long bridge. Therefore, it would have to take up quite a bit of space on both ends into Orange and Jefferson Counties. In conjunction with such a project, roads would have to be built (especially on the Orange County side) to connect to the structure.
Definitely doable in terms of construction. While not insurmountable, some of the big issues would be cost of the bridge itself, the roadways leading to the structure, the right of way needed for those roadways which would have to be built to standards, and finally the environmental and other federal clearances.
Again, great idea and it has definitely been (and being) talked about. Hope this answers some of those questions.
Marc S.