Avenue N bridge project could shut thoroughfare until late 2026
This map shows the general dimensions of an impending road closure on Avenure N in Marble Falls that could last from April 2025 until September 2026. The blue route is a proposed detour to help drivers avoid the closure and Johnson Park. Made in Google Maps by DailyTrib.com staff
Avenue N in Marble Falls could be closed from this April until September 2026 as work progresses on a new bridge over Backbone Creek. The $4 million structure should be better equipped to handle extreme flooding and allow safe crossing when the creek rises.
The Marble Falls City Council on March 18 approved a $4 million bid from Liberty Civil Construction for the bridge. According to a timeline from city of Marble Falls Engineer Jeff Prato, serious work and the road closure are scheduled to begin April 28 and be finished Sept. 9, 2026.
“So traffic may be a problem for the next two years,” Mayor Pro-tem Craig Magerkurth quipped during the Tuesday meeting.
The estimated time of construction is actually 499 days, or one year and four months, if Prato’s timeline holds.
While the road is closed, a recommended detour will take northbound Avenue N drivers west on Johnson Street to Avenue S south and then to Second Street. The southbound detour is the same route in reverse, with drivers heading west on Second Street and south on Avenue S, which then ties back into Johnson Street and the open portion of Avenue N.
The detour is intentionally designed to avoid Johnson Park. Avenue N is the primary thoroughfare for Meadowlakes residents entering and exiting that gated city, and Marble Falls leadership hopes to avoid sending too many drivers through the park while the road is closed.
“Our biggest communication to (Meadowlakes leadership) was coming through the park, and we want them to help us alert the people in Meadowlakes that it’s not a matter of not wanting them to come through the park, it’s a safety issue,” said John Packer, Marble Falls’ soon-to-be mayor, during Tuesday’s meeting.
The route through Johnson Park on Avenue J will remain open throughout bridge construction, but Packer noted the area could see additional congestion from work on The Ophelia Hotel and Conference Center at the intersection of Yett and Main streets near the Avenue J convergence.
Liberty Civil Construction had the lowest of seven bids for the Avenue N bridge project at $4 million. The next lowest bid was $4.4 million from Jordan Foster Construction, and the highest overall bid was $5.8 million from CE Barker. Construction will be mostly paid for by grant funding through the Texas Division of Emergency Management and its Hazardous Mitigation Plan.
The current crossing over Backbone Creek is a low-water slab. The new bridge will be significantly higher, include a pedestrian path, and be built to withstand major flooding. The project includes 614 feet of new bridge and about 275 linear-feet of roadway accompanied by grading, earthworks, culvert removal, pavement removal, site improvements, new structures, and trail realignment.