BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN ON MONDAY IN LEE COUNTY

  

After a one-month delay, bridge construction is scheduled to begin on Monday in Lee County.

TxDOT is going to be replacing the Highway 77 bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks just north of Giddings.

The need for bridge replacement was discovered by TxDOT District Engineer Tucker Ferguson back in November of 2023.

Ferguson said that the bridge is nearing the end of its useful life, and that while it was still safe to drive over, conditions were deteriorating.  

According to the Giddings Times, the project was originally supposed to begin on December 8, but was postponed for a month because final approvals on the contract were still being negotiated between TxDOT and the Railroad.

The traffic on the four-lane bridge will be reduced to two lanes while the year long project is going on.

They are planning to start with the east side. Traffic will be moved to the two lanes on the west side and the turn lane is being eliminated.

Once the eastern side is finished, then, they will move to the west side. And the two lanes will be moved to the new eastern portion.

In addition to that, the entrance from Highway 77 to Crockett Street that runs behind the Giddings Fire Station will be closed throughout the project.  

The estimated cost of the bridge construction is $12 million, and is being fully funded by the state.