Tree Lane Bridge Repairs Finally Starting Again…Hopefully For Last Time
8/11/24 – Tree Lane Bridge repairs are finally starting…again. By my count, this will make the fifth time if you include the 2020 and 2022 repairs that each failed within months, and two aborted starts earlier this year. Hopefully, Houston Public Works will complete the repairs this time and they will stick.
Third Round of Repairs in Five Years
The current rehab project is the third in five years. That speaks to the quality of engineering, contracting and supervision in Houston Public Works. See the list of my articles about Tree Lane Bridge problems below. I’ve listed them in reverse chronological order.
6/28/24 Tree Lane Project Supposed to be Done Today, But Hasn’t Started
4/9/24 City Begins Tree Lane Bridge Repairs
2/21/24 CoH Public Works Kicks Off Tree Lane Bridge Rehab Project
11/28/23 Tree Lane Bridge over Bens Branch Still Standing
6/12/23 Flood Damage To Tree Lane Bridge Over Ben’s Branch Accelerates
1/29/23 Tree Lane Bridge over Ben’s Branch Damaged…Again
3/31/20 City Completes Repairs on Tree Lane Bridge, But Concerns Remain
2/29/20 Tree Lane Bridge over Ben’s Branch: Before and After Repairs
12/2/19 Tree Lane Bridge vs. Power of Moving Water
Unexplained Delays, Changes
Construction of the most recent repair project was to have started in February this year. But contractors finally showed up 1.5 months later in early April. They did some tree trimming, parked their equipment and disappeared.
The project was to have been completed by 6/28 this year. But on 6/28, the job site was vacant, except for the equipment which had been parked months earlier. The biggest visible change: additional erosion, most likely due to the May flood, threatened a giant excavator that had been parked close to Bens Branch.
In June, I asked about delays and was informed by the project manager that they were waiting on unspecified utilities to move newly discovered utility lines.
In fairness, on 6/17/24, I did observe a utility crew burying cable in the vicinity. Public Works said on 7/2/24 that “all utility relocates have been completed.” However, as of 8/11, a water line and a cable are still clearly visible at the bottom of the creek and in the way of the project. See below.
The announcement of the most recent delay was even more vague. It announced “changes” due to “unforeseen circumstances” as the cause. I emailed and went online to find specifics. But not a clue!
Was it weather? Management? Engineering? Priorities? More utility conflicts? War in Ukraine? The school lunch menu?
Are the contractors even working off the right plans? The plans currently posted on Engage Houston have three different dates on them: 2018, 2022 and 2023. But I see nothing dated 2024. What delayed the project six months?
Contractors Return Just in Time for Back-to-School Traffic
After equipment sat idle virtually all summer, contractors returned to the job site just in time for the start of school. The bridge sits next to Bear Branch Elementary, which more than 600 students attend.
Last week, I made the mistake of trying to cross the bridge at 8AM. After project managers promised that construction activity would NOT interfere with school traffic, there the contractors were…with traffic at a standstill and backed up five blocks.
Later that afternoon, I received an email from the project manager. This email announced that the project would finish in “Fall 2024.” I would remind you that technically Fall lasts through December 21. That’s more than 4 months away. And more than 4 years after the 2020 repairs. But who ‘s counting?
Photos as of 8/11/2024
I took the photos below this afternoon so you can see how much progress has been made since February.
Note all the construction debris piled in the middle of the creek, waiting for more heavy rain.
Vegas is taking odds on whether Public Works will be able to live within its $909,000 estimate for this job.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/11/24
2539 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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