Bridge closed on Smith Road near Bryson

The bridge on Smith Road southeast of Bryson is closed to traffic following a declaration of emergency by Jack County officials Monday, Aug. 4. The bridge will remain closed to all traffic until it is replaced.

Commissioner Henry Birdwell, Jr. said one of the bridge’s I-beams is rusted through the center and bowing, while patches on the other side are showing signs of rust.

The county received a letter from TxDOT saying because the bridge could not safely hold the weight of vehicles, it should remain closed until it is replaced.

Smith Road is part of the bus route at Bryson ISD. Closing the bridge, BISD Superintendent Greg London said, will overextend the district and students will have to be rerouted until the bridge is reopened.

Birdwell received a bid to remove the existing structure and replace it with a bridge 40 feet long and 24 feet wide for $72,000, but the bid did not include costs for steel for the bridge, materials for the guardrails, concrete or rebar. Birdwell estimated total costs between $100,000 and $120,000.

Replacing the bridge will be funded through precinct 3 reserves. Though Birdwell did not need approval from the court to repair the bridge, if he could keep total costs at $100,000 or less, he did need their support to deem the bridge’s condition such an emergency that it needed to be closed to traffic until replaced.

“I would feel more comfortable getting a turnkey bid, knowing exactly what the cost is,” Birdwell said. “If they can get in and get it done I think we can have it fixed within about a month and a half.” 

The bridge has been closed, with barricades blocking entry from both sides of the bridge. But county officials said they were being moved to the side or people were driving around them.

Birdwell considered other methods to close off the bridge, including building a berm to block traffic.