Will they blow the bridge?

February 07, 2013, 9:00 pm by Adam Troxtell

Smooth Pimpleback Freshwater Mussel

A freshwater mussel on the cusp of being endangered may change plans to demolish the old US 281 bridge over Lake Marble Falls using explosives.

The smooth pimpleback freshwater mussel is a candidate to be included on a list of federally protected endangered species, and 13 of them have been spotted in Lake Marble Falls, according to a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Inland Fisheries Division report from 1996.

Contractor Archer Western and the Texas Department of Transportation are continuing to work with various agencies, including TPWD and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), to advance the proposal of using control charges that would demolish the metal framework of the old bridge, which currently supports southbound traffic.

On top of receiving an LCRA waiver, Archer Western must conduct a survey of the affected area to comply with TPWD recommendations.

For more of this story, see Friday's Highlander.

Reader Comments

Have spotted only 13 mussels in the lake. Yep they must be near extinction.. Nope they cant blow the bridge up.. Gotta take it down piece by piece. Its not good to make the federals unhappy.
February 08, 2013, 5:00pm by Roy