MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — For anyone taking Herring Avenue Bridge to get to East Waco or Cameron Park, there are about to be some changes and construction. The city detailed the repairs they’ll be making to one of the bridges that some Central Texans take everyday.
- In 2022, the City of Waco replaced the rocker bearings under the bridge after years of corrosion, but after they replaced those, they found more ways to make improvements
- The project will modernize the bridge from its 1960’s features, like the guardrail, updating them to today’s standards. They will also update the walkway along the bridge, and the asphalt.
- With construction expected to finish Spring 2026, the city says they aren’t sure yet if they’ll have to close the lanes in the bridge, but if they do, they’ll most likely offer Waco drive as an alternate route.
- The city doesn’t expect to bring construction on the project until Spring 2025.
BROADCAST SCRIPT:
"Waco is growing fast and they need this update,” one Waco resident said.
In just about two years, some Central Texas will see a renovated Herring Avenue Bridge.
“One of our big issues that we actually addressed in a project last year underneath the bridge, is the bearings,” Steve Martin said.
Steve Martin is an engineer for the City of Waco, and in 2022 they replaced the rocker bearings under the bridge after years of corrosion, but after they replaced those, they found more ways to make improvements.
“What we’ll end up doing is putting in a modular joint on top that will close it off, so that no water and no debris will go down inside there,” Martin said.
The project will modernize the bridge from its 1960’s features, like the guardrail — updating them to today’s standards.
“Anytime that it gets hit, and we have to replace something, it’s a custom one off build that we had to pay a whole lot of money to get done, and it’s hard to get and expensive to get it done,” Martin said.
The boards on the walkway will also be replaced, one Waco resident tells me he’s looking forward to the changes.
“I’ve jogged up there one time — jogged across, jogged over there — it’s in a really cool area, it’s going to really make everything pop more,” one resident said.
Martin says the goal of the project is to improve sustainability and longevity
“Once we get it done, our expectation is that we shouldn’t have to do any maintenance on the deck, should have 25–30-year life expectancy,” Martin said.
Amy Burlarley-Hyland with the City of Waco says they’ve got a budget set aside and the $3 million project won’t affect taxpayers.
“We put some of that towards bridge maintenance and bridge reconstruction and some towards streets, so it’s all within the budget,” Burlarley- Hyland said.
With construction expected to finish Spring 2026, the city says they aren’t sure yet if they’ll have to close the lanes in the bridge, but if they do, they’ll most likely offer Waco drive as an alternate route.
The city doesn’t expect to bring construction on the project until Spring 2025.
