The Middle Bosque River Bridge was built as part of the Speegleville Road construction in 1964 by the Corps of Engineers (USACE). The road was constructed as part of the construction of the new Lake Waco Dam. The associated road easements were subsequently conveyed from the USACE to McLennan County in 1965. In or around 1998, the City of Waco annexed a majority of the area which extended the Waco City Limits to the centerline of the Middle Bosque River. The Middle Bosque River is currently considered the end point of McLennan County maintenance and the beginning point of City maintenance. The Middle Bosque watershed area upstream of the Middle Bosque River bridge is 197 square miles. The existing bridge is composed of a 17-span pan girder structure with a total length of 661 ft. The existing bridge is currently classified (per TxDOT Bridge Inspection Records) as functionally obsolete. It is classified as functionally obsolete due to the fact that the existing bridge does not have shoulders. The existing bridge is a 24-foot wide (face of curb to face of curb) which only accommodates two 12-foot lanes. The City desires to increase the safety across the Middle Bosque River structure by providing shoulders. Speegleville Road is classified as a Principal Arterial Route (July 2012 Master Thoroughfare Plan). The 2019 Average Daily Traffic is 3,157 vehicles per day (2019
TxDOT District Traffic Web Viewer). Providing structures with shoulders will not only increase safety, but will additionally positively increase the roadway's capacity. The Middle Bosque River bridge is located in a growing and vibrant area of the City that is currently experiencing considerable development. Per TxDOT's 2020 Bridge Inspection, the existing Middle Bosque River bridge's lowest component rating was a 4 - Poor Condition- deterioration significantly affects structural capacity. However, due to the existing structure being constructed 57-years ago (and a pan girder structure), it is not recommended that the existing structure be widened. Therefore, constructing a second bridge parallel to the existing structure is recommended. The second bridge will have a similar effective bridge opening to the existing bridge. Both bridges are proposed to have low chords above the existing 503 foot elevation mark established by the USACE as the flowage easement for Lake Waco. This additional Middle Bosque River Bridge will be composed of a 9 span I-Beam structure with a total length of 660 ft. The proposed bridge is anticipated to incorporate 1 - 40 foot, 1 - 60 foot, and 7 - 80 foot spans, and utilize TX Girder shape girders, predicted to be the most cost effective to construct (fewer drill shafts, columns, interior bents, etc.). The construction of a second bridge in conjunction with the existing bridge structure remaining in service will allow the existing bridge to convey north bound traffic and the new bridge convey south bound traffic. After construction, the two structures will support (at a minimum) 12' wide lanes, 2' wide inside shoulders and 10' wide outside shoulders. The traffic in opposing directions at both of the existing and proposed bridge would travel on separate structures. Each bridge will have bridge railing(s) that will separate the lanes of traffic. As September 12, 2022, this project is currently in the FY 2022-2023 CIP . Funding for this project is allotted in the city's capital improvement plan for construction Fy 2024. A firm timeline has not been established; however, construction is scheduled for Fiscal Year 2024. *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.
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