TxDOT repairs load damage on local bridge

The State Hwy. 70 bridge over the Salt Fork of the Red River is now open for traffic after severe damage necessitated emergency repairs to the bridge last week.

Donley County TxDOT Maintenance Supervisor Steve Smith ordered the bridge partially closed at 3:30 p.m. last Tuesday after he discovered one section of the northbound lane had dropped nearly two inches.

Inspection of the bridge, located below the Greenbelt Dam, revealed that three huge pieces of concrete were popped out of the fourth interior bent support from the north where it joined the I-beams of the bridge span. One beam on the east side of the bridge was actually twisted out of shape.

Officials with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) say that a heavy load may have been what caused the damage and dropped that section 1 5/8”.

All truck traffic between US 287 and I-40 was immediately diverted through Hedley, but one lane of the bridge remained open to passenger vehicles.

Early Thursday morning, TxDOT crews began repairs to the bridge by driving new pylons 18 feet into the ground on the east and west side of the damaged section. The bridge was then lifted and set back down on its new support.

Traffic was diverted to a temporary road through the riverbed as repairs were made.

The bridge reopened late Friday afternoon, according to TxDOT spokeswoman Barbara Seal.

The Salt Fork bridge was constructed in 1954, Smith said. The south end washed out in 1957. It was rebuilt and then lengthened some time later.

The support that failed was originally the north end of the bridge but is now located near the center.

TxDOT officials say long-range plans call for the bridge to be replaced with earthen fill because the existence of the Greenbelt Reservoir makes the bridge “hydrologically unnecessary.”