RICHMOND, Va. — The Texas Beach pedestrian bridge is about to receive a multimillion-dollar renovation after the city deemed it “structurally unsafe” more than two years ago.
The entrance to Texas Beach off Texas Avenue in the Maymont neighborhood is plastered with bright yellow and unavoidable signs that read, “NOTICE: TEXAS BEACH BRIDGE REPAIR IN PROGRESS! We’re Excited Too! But Please Respect The Work Zone!”
Another nearby sign states, “CAUTION: WATCH FOR CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT!”
Leaders with Richmond Parks and Recreation met CBS 6 for an exclusive interview about the $2 million plans.
“The more that folks stay away, pay attention to that signage and are conscientious of our contractors doing work out there, the faster they can continue to maintain that work, and the faster we can open Texas Beach bridge,” said Nissa Richardson, Richmond Parks and Recreation deputy director of capital improvement programs.
The project consists of repairing a pedestrian bridge which includes structural steel installation, concrete demolition, and metal decking installation.
To facilitate the repair work, a temporary access road from the parking lot to the job site shall be constructed and later removed at the conclusion of the project, according to the city’s website.
Funding slightly held up the project.
The price tag is paid using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that former President Joe Biden signed into law during the pandemic.
Richmond Parks and Recreation construction manager Allen McCown said the funding came in the second wave and they subsequently had to receive bids from contractors.
“There's a lot of work that goes into a bridge that was put in the 1970s in a non-accessible area. Then this past December, we awarded a contract to a contractor, and here we are in pre-construction and access phase,” McCown explained.
The railroad tracks that run along the North Bank Trail and a creek are a challenge associated with this project.
“It's not every day now that you see people build a bridge over a railroad and so our collaboration with CSX is extremely important for that reason alone,” Richardson stated.
Constructed in the 1970s with steel and concrete, the bridge serves as the only legal access to Texas Beach.
“[The project has] been incredibly complex. There's no road to get here. There's no place here to set up a crane and swing a new bridge into place. Dealing with property lines and easements and canals — there's been a lot of complexity about getting the project to this date. So I'm really proud of where we are right now, but I'm going to be even more proud when we can walk across that,” McCown said.
They warned that there will be some changes to the North Bank Trail route as you approach Texas Beach.
The federal deadline to repair the pedestrian bridge is December 2026, however the city believes crews will wrap up the project before that date.
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