bear branch elementary Archives

HCFCD Picking Up Last of Beryl Debris from Bens Branch

2/25/25 – Today, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) began picking up remaining Hurricane Beryl Debris from Bens Branch in Kingwood. The cleanup effort began on Tree Lane across from Bear Branch Elementary. More than 600 children in grades K-5 attend school there.

The delayed cleanup effort illustrates the need for community leaders and Flood Control to work more closely together and document cleanup efforts, especially after disasters.

The Fog of Disaster

Beryl left a mess all across the Houston area. The massive cleanup effort involved HCFCD, the City of Houston, FEMA, private contractors, CenterPoint and more working months with little sleep. Responsibilities were inevitably bound to get mixed up on occasion and this was one of them.

HCFCD denies the piles of Beryl debris from Bens Branch were theirs, despite the protestations of local leaders who monitored cleanup efforts.

But Eric Heppen, Harris County Precinct 3’s Director of Engineering, said, “We’re past that now. We’re just going to pick up the piles.” Thank you, Commissioner Ramsey. And thank you, HCFCD.

I’m sure that will be a relief to parents who worried about the temptation the piles represented to young boys eager to test their climbing skills. One of the piles crews worked on today easily exceeded six feet in height.

Chris Bloch, a Bear Branch Trail Association (BBTA) board member, led the fight to get HCFCD to clean up piles at ten locations strung out along the forested portion of Bens Branch, which runs through the center of Kingwood.

Thirteen residents who lived near the stream died as a result of flooding during Hurricane Harvey. Ever since then, residents and the BBTA board have been hyper-vigilant about anything that could back water up in the stream. So, it is good to get this behind us.

Remainder of Piles Should Be Gone by Friday

Jessica Lazo, a HCFCD spokesperson for Precinct 3, said that HCFCD crews should remove the remainder of the debris by this Friday, 2/28/25.

The City removed two piles along Cedar Knolls last week. HCFCD will remove the rest.

*First load of two piles near Bens Branch (seen in the background at top of frame) along Tree Lane.*

*The right equipment makes it look so easy.*..

*…but its not.* *Note vines and smaller branches mixed with sections of tree trunks.*

The photo above shows HCFCD working on the second load of Beryl debris from Bens Branch. After the first, the crew had to drive to the other side of the county to drop off the debris for recycling. According to an employee I interviewed onsite during the operation, few places at this time can handle mixed loads like this. By mixed, he meant large-diameter tree trunks and smaller branches.

So this could be a lengthy process. I’ll let you know when they complete the job.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/25/25

2737 Days since Hurricane Harvey

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

3/21/22 How Insufficiently Mitigated Upstream Development Imposes Taxation without Representation on Downstream Residents

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.

*Erosion creeped toward parked excavator. Photo taken 6/17/24.*

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.

*Photo taken 8/11/24, six months after project start. Those exposed lines show up in photos taken in 2019.*

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.

*Looking N from S side of bridge at work on E wall.*

Note all the construction debris piled in the middle of the creek, waiting for more heavy rain.

*Looking S from N side of bridge at W side work.*

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

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.

City Begins Tree Lane Bridge Repairs

This morning, City of Houston contractors began clearing access points for the Tree Lane Bridge repairs in Kingwood next to Bear Branch Elementary where more than 600 students attend classes.

The City announced the kickoff of the project on February 21, 2024, but work actually started today.

*Photo on 4/9/2024. Step one: lumberjacks clearing access for Tree Lane bridge repair work.*

Extent of Damage

This is actually the second round of repairs. The City made some rudimentary efforts in 2020 that ultimately proved ineffective. Four years later, erosion under the bridge is more extensive now than then.

I took all the pictures below on 4/7/24.

*Tree Lane Bridge before start of Round 2 repairs. Collapse of East retaining wall.*

The forensic report blames the damage on “failure of riprap.” Riprap is boulders placed in the stream designed to reduce erosion by slowing the flow of water, breaking it up, and providing a protective barrier.

However, the forensic analysis indicates that water flow in Bens Branch undermined the rip rap.

Soil beneath riprap can be eroded if the rock was just placed on top without any buffer between the layers such as a geotextile fabric or smaller riprap (crushed stone).

In this case, erosion removed more than a foot of soil behind the concrete walls, under the base, and under the existing riprap.

Tree Lane Bridge Before Start of Round 2 Repairs — *Tree Lane Bridge before start of Round 2 repairs. Downcutting under bridge.*

You can see from the exposed utilities that the creek has downcut. This downcutting extends several hundred feet upstream of the bridge. And that’s part of the problem. It allowed water to get behind and under the existing channel linings.

*Headward erosion downstream on west side and exposed utilities.*

Construction plans call for:

Removing all the existing material under the bridge and on the sides of the banks
Installing a new concrete channel (bottom and sides) that will maintain the flow line of the stream.
Repairing outfalls.

The engineer’s report claims the proposed U-shaped channel will hold the current side slopes of the bridge and allow for the drop in the flow line.

For More Information

See the Report of Findings, construction plans, and the City’s official Engage Houston web page.

For pictures of how the bridge looked after the last round of repairs, see this post from 3/31/2020.

For pictures of a flood responsible for much of the damage, see this post from 1/29/23.

A Silver Lining

The damage to the Tree Lane bridge has been so rapid, that it occurred twice within the time many Bear Branch students attended the adjacent elementary school. Perhaps it will inspire curiosity about flooding among some of these students, spur them to pursue engineering careers, and perhaps prevent such dangers in the future.

Safety Precaution

The City hopes to complete the Tree Lane bridge project sometime this summer, weather permitting. Please observe traffic warning signs, cones and flags for the duration. And keep curious children away from heavy equipment which will be maneuvering in tight spaces with limited visibility.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/9/2024 with help from Chris Bloch of the Bear Branch Trail Association

2415 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Flood Damage To Tree Lane Bridge Over Ben’s Branch Accelerates

Since I last reported on damage to the Tree Lane Bridge over Ben’s Branch in January, the situation has worsened considerably.

Concrete reinforcements under and on both sides of the bridge have collapsed from undercutting, erosion and jetting.
The stream has downcut, exposing pipelines.
Jetting has carved out a cavernous area south of the bridge.
Erosion has reached within a few feet of a utility corridor.
Storm sewer outfalls have been exposed, undercut and punctured by massive slabs of displaced concrete.
Bridge supports, once protected by sidewalls, have been exposed to more erosion.

Pictures Taken on 6/12/23 Show Extent of Damage

The bridge will probably not collapse in the next big rain. However, the cumulative damage to all these components underscores the need for urgent repair. It also underscores the need for mitigation to reduce the jetting that caused the damage.

Looking at downstream eastern side of Tree Lane bridge — *Looking NE at downstream, eastern side of Tree Lane bridge*

*Wider shot from same position reveals two exposed pipelines.*

Looking upstream under Tree Lane Bridge. Downcutting under bridge threatens western wall also. — *Looking upstream under Tree Lane Bridge. Note how downcutting threatens western (left) wall also.*

*Giant slabs of concrete have destroyed outfall.*

*Erosion downstream of the Tree Lane bridge now is within approximately ten feet of a utility corridor.*

Damage Accelerating, Repaired Just Three Years Ago

The city repaired the Tree Lane Bridge in March of 2020. Compare this post to see how it looked then. It’s amazing how much damage could be done in three years to a bridge that weathered multiple hurricanes and tropical storms for more than 50 years.

That’s a testament to insufficiently mitigated development upstream that sends ever greater volumes of water downstream – more than the opening under the bridge was designed for.

For a description of how jetting works, check this post. Basically, water backs up behind the bridge, putting greater pressure on the water flowing under the bridge.

Let’s hope the City can repair the Tree Lane Bridge again before school starts in the fall. The bridge borders Bear Branch Elementary School where 638 students attend classes.

Please check bridges near you and report any damage.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/12/2023

2113 Days since Hurricane Harvey

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