Victoria County bridge system gets upgrade
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VICTORIA COUNTY REPLACES OBSOLETE BRIDGES
County Commissioner Wayne Dierlam spent $122,000 to replace a bridge on J-2 Ranch Road.
The state agreed to spend $1.15 million to replace bridges on Salem Road and Edna's Lane.
County Commissioner Wayne Dierlam said he thinks he made a good swap for the taxpayers of Victoria County.
He invested $122,000 in county tax dollars to replace an aging bridge at a crossing that dates back at least to 1929. In return, the Texas Department of Transportation spent $1.15 million to replace two other bridges in the county.
"That's a good return," Dierlam said. "I'd do that every day."
But the improvements to the bridge system wouldn't have been possible without the cooperation of the Texas Department of Transportation, he said.
The bridge replaced with county tax dollars is on J-2 Ranch Road at Wagner Flats in northern Victoria County. Dierlam said it was a low-lying bridge prone to flooding.
The state agreed to pay for replacing a single-lane bridge over Garcitas Creek on Salem Road northeast of Victoria and a wood-plank bridge over Edna's Lane west of Bloomington.
James Pohl, with the Texas Department of Transportation, said the two state-funded bridges were completed this year.
The bridge-replacement effort was recognized during a dedication ceremony Tuesday of the Salem Road bridge. It was attended by county and state officials.
County Judge Don Pozzi thanked the Texas Department of Transportation for working with the county.
"We've had an outstanding relationship and partnership with them," he said. "Obviously, all the projects we do are with safety in mind, first and foremost."
District Engineer Lonnie Gregorcyk, with the Texas Department of Transportation, said his district is always looking for ways to stretch tax dollars. "This bridge is an example of that," he said, noting the city and county have been at the forefront of working with the state on such projects.
Area Engineer Randy Bena with the state transportation department said it takes many people to make a project like the bridge replacement a success.
"This is great," he said. "It's good for the taxpayers."
The combined county-state effort started with an idea shortly after Dierlam took office in 1999. He said the J-2 Ranch Road bridge was a dangerous bridge that flooded and clearly needed to be improved.
"This wasn't done overnight," Dierlam said. "But I knew it was one of the most critical and most important projects."
The Garcitas Creek bridge on Salem Road was on the state's list of bridges deemed functionally insufficient or structurally obsolete. The Edna's Lane bridge near Bloomington was a timber bridge that state inspectors reported was decaying.
