Commission to weigh the fate of Third Street bridge
During the next two weeks, the Burnet County Historical Commission must determine whether the 70-year old bridge in Marble Falls at Third Street and Whitman Branch should remain intact or be demolished for renovation.
“We are a fairly large group,” commission Chairwoman Carole Goble said. “I really don’t know what they will decide.”
About 25 county residents are members of the commission, Goble added.
The commission will discuss the destiny of the bridge at 10:15 a.m. today at the Herman Brown Free Library, 100 E. Washington St.
All are welcome to attend the meeting.
“We will listen to all comments,” Goble said.
Built in 1938 as the Great Depression began to fade, engineers widened the bridge in 1960. However, the bridge fails to meet standards for statewide significance, according to an inventory of state historic bridges conducted by the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Historical Commission.
Furthermore, the National Register of Historic Places has indicated it will not list the bridge, TxDOT officials said.
TxDOT coordinator Michael Walker has told Goble the department has issued approval of a project that may result in the replacement of the bridge, unless the commission can declare the structure is historically significant at a local or regional level.
“If you feel the bridge is significant at a local or regional level, please provide us with written information concerning the history of the bridge and its role in your community’s history,” Walker wrote in a letter to Goble.
The commission has until Dec. 17 to respond thumbs-up or thumbs-down on plans by TxDOT to raze the bridge, Walker said.
If the commission forwards no response by Dec. 17, “We will assume you concur with the findings of the state historic bridge inventory,” Walker added.
raymond@thepicayune.com