ROBINSON, Texas (KXXV) — “When we have emergency vehicles going on the bridge, even now, if other vehicles are coming towards us or moving out of the way for us, it's kind of dangerous because the bridge is so narrow,” Robinson Fire Department’s Chief Stephen Sullivan said.
25 News’ Kadence MaKenna was reviewing last month’s Robinson city council meeting and saw the city was awarded the bid for an upcoming road project.
The city plans to reconstruct the Greig Drive bridge that crosses Flat Creek.
“We’d like to have John Bowden Parkway phase two finished to Greig,” Robinson city manager Craig Lemin said. “Before we get to the point, we have to shut the bridge down."
Lemin told 25 News it could take a few months before construction begins – but the need for improvements is growing.
“The traffic counts on that road just keep increasing, and we anticipate with the new projects in the Robinson Business Park, that's just going to continue,” Lemin said.
The current bridge cannot hold more than 68,000 pounds – an issue for our local fire department getting its 76,000-pound new truck later this year.
“We take Greig Drive pretty much for almost all our I-35 calls. We can take Greig Drive to access it because you can get northbound and southbound pretty quickly,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan told 25 News that the bridge changes would help prevent delays and improve accessibility to industrial areas.
The new bridge will be about 140 feet long and 40 feet wide. It will be at a higher elevation, so more water can also pass underneath.
“But the biggest thing is it’s narrow, it's low. We have, on occasion, had the water top it, which restricts access there, including our emergency vehicle access,” Lemin said.
The city says the bridge will be closed for months once construction begins—and there will be alternate routes in place.
“It is going to be some inconvenience for a short period of time, but when it's finished, it'll be a lot more accessible through that area and a lot more reliable,” Lemin said.
