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impactnews.com July 2009 | 9
Transportation Report Lakewood Drive low-water crossing improvements By Tiffany Young
A project to add a concrete bridge at a
low-water crossing in Bull Creek District
Park would greatly reduce the number
and length of time of road closures where
the creek and Lakewood Drive meet, said
Stan Evans, the Capital Improvement
Project coordinator on the project for the
City of Austin’s Watershed Protection
Department.
Now in its final approval and permit
phase, the estimated $1 million project is
expected to begin construction by January
and will take about six months to
complete.
“The bridge we have planned can be
constructed with minimal impact to the
site and the environment,” Evans said.
“The bridge will provide many improvements
to the environment by getting the
vehicles out of the creek. But more importantly,
the bridge will greatly improve
safety to the traveling public and for
pedestrians and those riding bikes as they
cross Bull Creek at the park.”
Each lane of the bridge will be 14
feet wide and will include a 6-foot wide
pedestrian sidewalk with guard rails for
a total width just wider than 34 feet. The
sidewalk will continue along the length of
the new roadway pavement and connect
the south side of the park to the main
park area north of the creek.
“The typical creek flow at this location
2222
360
Lakewood Dr.
is almost 6 inches deep on a normal day,
so when there is any rain upstream of
the crossing, it needs to be closed, which
requires our staff to mobilize to the site
to set up barricades,” Evans said. “Nearby
homeowners are affected by this, as is the
traveling public using Lakewood Drive.”
The proposed low-water crossing will
raise the road surface several feet above
Bull Creek
District Park
Source: City of Austin Watershed
the creek bed, and would only be subject
to closure for large storms causing flow
over the proposed crossing.
Warning lights will be reinstalled on
either side of the bridge to alert motorists
of high water conditions and detection
devices at the bridge to monitor the creek
depth and communicate to Austin’s citywide
flood emergency system operated by
N
Retaining walls
Existing ROW*
Proposed ROW
6 in. water line
48 in. water line
* right-of-way
Lakewood Dr.
the Watershed Protection department.
The project will also consist of reconfiguring
a parking lot on the south side of
the creek to reduce impervious pavement
for more vegetation.
Park visitors will still be able to enter
the park at the Capital of Texas Highway
entrance.
Visit www.ci.austin.tx.us/watershed.
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Illustrated by Heather Wills