New Post Road Bridge At Blanco River Opens With Ribbon-Cutting, Ceremonial Tree Planting

New Post Road Bridge At Blanco River Opens With Ribbon-Cutting, Ceremonial Tree Planting…..2015 flood recovery continues.

Hays County Courthouse, TX – Hays County travelers once again have a two-lane bridge over the Blanco River on Post Road between Kyle and San Marcos following a ribbon-cutting and ceremonial tree-planting Wednesday morning. 

The bridge, washed away during the 2015 Memorial Weekend flood, is the only alternative route to I-35 between Kyle and San Marcos and serves thousands of citizens as well as first responders.

Following an invocation by San Marcos Community Church Pastor John McComb – who noted that this was his first bridge invocation – the Sons of the American Revolution, in full period dress, posted the colors.

State Rep. Jason Isaac expressed his thanks to TxDOT for its role in helping Hays County recover and finishing the bridge ahead of schedule after he led the crowd in the pledges to the flags.

“Our primary focus in any road or bridge situation at TxDOT is safety,” TxDOT Austin District Engineer Terry McCoy said. “When we determine that a bridge needs repair or we are replacing an off-system bridge such as this one, we work with local officials to develop a plan of action and request funding from any source available – federal, state, or local.”

Precinct 4 Commissioner Ray Whisenant told the crowd that as a life-long resident of Hays County, he had never seen water in the Blanco River as high as what torrential rains caused that Memorial Weekend and that work continues on other roads and low-water-crossings damaged by both that flood and another disastrous flood that occurred in October 2015.

“We could not have done this without our partners, so I’d like to say a big thank you to TxDOT, and everyone else who played a role in making this new bridge a reality,” Whisenant said “TxDOT is a valuable partner in helping Hays County infrastructure meet its growth demands throughout the county. The project contractor, Capital Excavation, and Hays County Transportation Department staff have been instrumental in making this bridge a reality and bringing us to today’s event.”

The $900,000 replacement bridge was paid for through TxDOT’s off-system bridge program and replaces the 1950s-era previous bridge with one that meets today’s bridge standards. Hays County contributed its 10-percent share of the funding through in-kind contributions to repair other damaged road and low-water crossings. An innovative, temporary one-lane bridge made of flat rail cars, installed soon after the flood, was removed in July 2017 to begin work on the permanent bridge.

Also among the many attendees were Kyle City Council members Dex Ellison and Alex Villalobos, Curt Buckley from State Sen. Donna Campbell’s Office, San Marcos Chamber of Commerce members and CAMPO chair Will Conley.

The tree will be planted by Hays County Parks Department staff at nearby Five Mile Dam Park to help reforest the area along the Blanco River.

Feature Photo:

The bridge opening was celebrated not just with a ribbon-cutting, but with a ceremonial tree-planting. Left to right, Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe, Precinct 3 Commissioner Lon Shell, CAMPO Chair Will Conley, Kyle City Councilman Dex Ellison, Precinct 2 Commissioner Mark Jones, Capital Excavation Vice President Gary Botkin, Precinct 4 Commissioner Ray Whisenant, and TxDOT Austin District Engineer Terry McCoy.