TxDOT reviewing plans for U.S. 281 bridge piers following three county phone outage.
A less-than-perfect bridge implosion has delayed the demolition of two piers in Lake Marble Falls that are all that remains of the old U.S. 281 bridge.
Initial plans from the Texas Department of Transportation were to use explosives to demolish the remaining piers sometime in the last week of March. After reviewing those plans, officials now say that demolition — with explosives — is tentatively scheduled for April 4. No time has been set.
“We still want there to be (day)light but with the least traffic implications as possible,” TxDOT spokesperson Kelli Reyna said.
Reyna said the plans for the pier demolition are being revised after the March 17 bridge implosion that cut telecommunication lines and punctured a sewer line.
Reyna said TxDOT does not have a blasting expert and must rely on a blaster’s safety record and work history.
“Still, there were issues that occurred that we were told would not,” Reyna said. “That’s why the plan is being revised, to make sure additional safety measures are covered.”
The piers will be demolished with explosives placed underwater. The blast should break the concrete piers into pieces that will be picked up with specialized buckets attached to cranes that will pick up the debris from the lake.
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