Texas Governor Greg Abbott today, Aug. 19, celebrated the re-opening of the Cow Creek Bridge after the bridge was washed out by catastrophic floods last month. The bridge was rapidly rebuilt to completion in 29 days.
“This is what Texas is all about - we get things done,” said Governor Abbott. “In just a short period of time, crews put together the pieces, finished construction, and got this bridge completed. Because this bridge was completed so quickly, it will ensure that we reconnect communities and get things back to normal for all the people who were affected.”
During the ceremony, Governor Abbott thanked the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the construction crews who worked around-the-clock to quickly rebuild the bridge after it was destroyed. The governor also emphasized that the re-opened Cow Creek Bridge has been redesigned to be a bigger, wider, and taller bridge than its previous version.
He was joined at the re-opening ceremony by Federal Highway Administration Deputy Administrator Jay Payne, Senator Donna Campbell, Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) Acting Chair W. Alvin New, TTC Commissioner Steven Alvis, TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams, and other state and local officials. The project cost $4 million.
After floodwaters ripped the structure away on July 5, the damage cut off Marble Falls from Lago Vista and Cedar Park. The original 240-ft. long bridge, which is located in Travis County just east of the Burnet County line, was built in the 1960s. The state agency awarded an emergency contract just weeks after the flooding to rebuild the RM 1431 bridge over Cow Creek. On July 16, the agency opened bids, selecting the $4 million bid from Hunter Industries.
The new more modern bridge will have 12-foot travel lanes, six-foot shoulders on both sides and a 2-foot striped median.
