A two-way, low water crossing was built parallel to the bridge, which has been closed since July 5 after being damaged by floodwaters.
AUSTIN, Texas — Travis County officials say contractors have built a temporary roadway to serve as a replacement for the Sandy Creek Bridge.
Construction was completed on Monday on a two-way, low water crossing next to the bridge, which has been closed since July 5 after flooding caused it to shift, presenting safety concerns.
The bridge is the only way vehicles can access the Sandy Creek area by vehicle. Residents in the area have previously expressed frustration over what they felt was a slow response from the county in responding to their needs.
In the last few days, Travis County has since established a resource center and deployed local and state teams to go door to door offering help, and overseeing resource deployment, coordination and operational support on the ground.
Residents in the area, which lies outside Leander city proper and is split between Williamson and Travis counties, said they felt overlooked before then. Now, some told KVUE this is a step in the right direction.
“Oh man, we’re just delighted. We’re delighted. I mean, we’re glad, especially for the folks that needed to get out to get to their doctors appointments and whatever they got to get to, you know,” said resident Richard Joubert.
A shuttle service was also launched in partnership with CapMetro that takes people from the Sandy Creek neighborhood or the Round Mountain Baptist Church to the resource center and the nearby H-E-B. There is a sign signaling the temporary bus stop located at the entrance of the damaged bridge. The shuttle runs from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and is scheduled for every 45 minutes.
“I recognize that there are community members still struggling to piece their lives back together. No matter how long [it] takes, Travis County will be there to help,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said in a Sunday news release. “Every day, Travis County staff, partner organizations and volunteers continue to make progress on recovery efforts. I cannot thank them enough for their efforts.”
Next, Travis County officials said the viability of the Sandy Creek bridge will need to be checked.
“There’s still a lot of debris around the bridge that needs to be removed,” said Travis County spokesperson Hector Nieto. “Once that happens, then our engineers will be able to look at the base of the bridge to determine what structural issues there are, and then we can make a determination if the bridge is still viable or if the bridge needs to be replaced.”
On Monday afternoon, search and rescue crews were seen continuing operations under the Sandy Creek bridge. According to County Officials, three people are still missing.