Brays Bayou Association Updates

Update 3X

Late this afternoon I heard from TXDOT regarding the timeframes for the replacement project for the 610 Southbound Feeder Road Bridge that crosses over Brays Bayou.

*February 13th…Signs go up to inform public of upcoming construction.

*February 20th…Construction is “tentatively slated to start.

***March 19th…Rodeo ends.

*+*+*March 20th…TXDOT is exploring options to push the start of construction back to this day to avoid Rodeo conflict.  I don’t think anyone would disagree with this smart move by TXDOT.

*February 10th…We should know if construction will begin after the Rodeo…or not.  Also hope to have the latest update regarding Brays Bayou Trail impacts.

That’s all for this go around of updates, but I’ll say this again…

TXDOT has said they would keep us in the loop, and they have!….much, much appreciated!

We’ll keep you posted with updates as we receive them.

Charles Goforth
Brays Bayou Association, President

To be added to our direct contact list go to braysbayou@gmail.com and say sign me up!

Below is the…
January 6,2023 update

First, a response to the three questions that so many of you have been asking…
1) Yes, the bridge is being raised 1″(one inch), not a typo.
2) The replacement is NOT a flood risk reduction project.
3) The bridge is being replaced because it is worn out and wasn’t designed to handle the volume and heavy loads that it is enduring.  When the bridge was built this area was the outer edge of Houston.

**Late this afternoon I heard from TXDXOT that the project start is experiencing some delays due to a pending permit from HCFCD since work will be in their channel.  But the real delay is that AT&T still needs to remove one of their lines that is attached to the bridge…don’t want to go without internet south of the bayou!

So needless to say, the start will not be occurring Monday the 9th.  Projection is now January 23rd at the earliest and February 3rd for the latest (based on dates provided to TXDOT by AT&T).

My observation…AT&T is notorious for these types of delays, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it is March or later before start. 

TXDOT has said they would keep us in the loop, and they have!….much, much appreciated!

We’ll keep you posted with updates as we receive them.

Charles Goforth
Brays Bayou Association, President

To be added to our direct contact list go to braysbayou@gmail.com and say sign me up!

Below is the…
December 8, 2022 update
The Latest and Greatest!

In a meeting with TXDOT, that I dragged Jeff Peters to (always good to have a witness,haha), it was shared that the “new” anticipated construction date is January 9, 2023 with an expected 272 days of construction.  So, with Houston weather and other delays thrown in, it looks like a completion date around November/December 2023 can be expected.  We also learned that the bridge will be raised!…by 1″

It was confirmed that it’s going to be an absolute mess!

As mentioned previously, traffic will be funneled down to one lane approaching and crossing the bridge with two lanes possibly open at times during latter stages of construction. 

It was learned that East/West traffic patterns on N. Braeswood will be impacted as well, mainly affecting southbound turn lanes.  The Hike and Bike Trail Crossing most likely will need to be diverted to the northside of N. Braeswood and the under 610, that’s a scary detour.  If that’s not enough the 610 south exit to Braeswood will be closed for periods of time, which may not be a bad thing because who’s going to want to get off there anyway during construction.

Signage will be extensive with even the large digital freeway signs advising as you approach the area. 

I tried to convince TXDOT that a better approach to construction might be to close all bridge traffic.  They agreed that it would greatly expedite construction, but thought that guidelines require them to keep at least one lane open.  I mentioned that even the one lane will often have to be stopped due to equipment, material and labor moving around, they agreed and said they still hadn’t resolved needed staging requirements.

We were told we would be kept in the loop…we’ll keep you posted!

Charles Goforth
Brays Bayou Association, President

To be added to our direct contact list go to braysbayou@gmail.com and say sign me up!

The existing bridge has 3 lanes and 4 feet wide dangerous sidewalks, if you want to call them that.  The westside sidewalk has no connecting sidewalks, just a sidewalk on the bridge portion…the sidewalk that starts nowhere and goes nowhere.  The eastside is often covered in litter and road debris…tires, wheel covers, car parts from accidents, etc.  The new bridge will have 3 lanes, shoulders and 6 feet wide sidewalks that will eventually be connected to the new Houston Parks Board’s hike/bike trail that will run along the southside of Brays Bayou and under 610.  At least one lane will be open on the bridge during the various construction phases.  During some construction phases 2 lanes will be open.  In my opinion having one lane open might create even more headaches than just closing down the bridge entirely. The volume of traffic is many times greater than the S. Rice or Chimney Rock bridges, which could handle the one lane.  You think the cutting back and forth along with the merging is a nightmare now…imagine all the traffic being narrowed down to one lane as you approach the intersection coming off the freeway or down from Meyerland Plaza/Beechnut.  The fun is soon to begin!  On the bright side I am told that there could be “sometimes” during construction that 2 lanes might actually be open.

Besides the obvious bottleneck at the 610 South Feeder Road and N. Braeswood intersection, the overall area will likely experience greatly increased traffic along Beechnut, Jason, Endicott, S. Rice, and to a lesser extent Chimney Rock and Stella Link, as commuters work their way into Meyerland and or points to the south and west.

Headaches and inconveniences aside, this is yet another needed improvement for the area…well at least that’s what I am going to keep telling myself for the next year!