UPDATE: Wirtz Dam bridge project
A rendering of the Wirtz Dam Bridge, which will span 1,750 feet over Lake Marble Falls. Image courtesy of K.C. Engineering
After years of work, planning, pivoting, and adjustments, a start date for the Wirtz Dam bridge project is in sight. The long-planned transportation project would see a bridge over the Colorado River near Wirtz Dam, connecting the cities of Granite Shoals and Cottonwood shores, and providing an alternative to the U.S. 281 bridge in Marble Falls.
According to Burnet County Pct. 4 Commissioner Joe Don Dockery, the Wirtz Dam bridge project should be going out for bid in 2029, with construction possibly starting 90 days after a bid is accepted. The estimated duration of construction will become more clear once an official bid is accepted.
“I’m confident in the process,” Dockery told DailyTrib. “We’re moving forward and doing everything that we need to do.”
Dockery took over oversight of the project in 2025, and has been serving as a representative of Burnet County in discussions with the major players involved, especially the Texas Department of Transportation, which will be handling all major construction.
The purpose of the bridge is to provide a reliable connection between RR 1431 and RM 2147, allowing for quick, safe travel between the northside and the southside of the river without having to pass through Marble Falls or Kingsland. The move is expected to decrease emergency response times, commutes, and congestion throughout the Highland Lakes area.
In the future, with the addition of another road connecting RM 2147 to Texas 71, the bridge could also allow for direct access to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center- Marble Falls for communities on the north side of the Colorado River, especially Granite Shoals, a project that is in its preliminary phases according to Dockery.
As of November 2026, Burnet County is in the process of acquiring rights of way from landowners along the proposed path of construction of the bridge and its accompanying roadways that will connect North Wirtz Dam Road on the north side of the Colorado River and South Wirtz Dam Road on the south side of the river.
The total project is expected to cost around $63 million, but the vast majority of that will be covered by state and federal funding. Dockery said that the county will be responsible for about $3 million of the total cost. That number could be even lower if the Lower Colorado River Authority agrees to donate land for the project, as it is one of the primary landowners involved.
“We’ve set aside tax note money for several years to prepare for this,” Dockery said. “We think that for less than $3 million of county money we can get this thing built.”
Construction of the bridge was supposed to begin this fall, but an archaeological discovery near the proposed build site in 2025, personnel changes, and rising costs of construction significantly delayed the process.