Pavement at the west end of the Bethany Drive bridge over Watters Creek has settled enough in the westbound lanes to make for a rough ride, and Allen's City Council is set on Tuesday to hire a contractor to rebuild it.
The $233,190 contract with Garret Shields Infrastructure is on the regular agenda for the 7 p.m. meeting at Allen City Hall, 305 Century Parkway. Engineering Director Chris Flanigan is the staff contact.
What the inspectors found
The Texas Department of Transportation routinely inspects 39 bridges and bridge-class culverts in Allen, according to the staff memo. Its inspectors record visual observations and field measurements and give each structure a rating that tells the city how urgently it needs work, since the bridges belong to the city.
Allen then hired the engineering firm Teague, Nall & Perkins to take a closer look at two bridges TxDOT flagged as needing immediate attention. On the Bethany Drive bridge, the memo says, that settlement has become a ride-quality nuisance that could grow into a safety concern if left alone.
The firm's own inspection found that the ground supporting the bridge's approach slab, the concrete section that meets the bridge deck, no longer holds it up as it should. The slab has to be reconstructed, and staff wrote that the problem will only get worse, and cost more to fix, the longer it waits.
The job
The plans call for rebuilding the approach slab, building sidewalk and sealing cracks and joints to keep water out. The project map places the work on West Bethany Drive near Watters Road.
