Floodwaters that ravaged the Hill Country over the Fourth of July weekend crippled at least two important bridges in northwestern Travis County, severing a lifeline for a rural subdivision and destroying a well-traveled scenic highway crossing.
The Texas Department of Transportation is invoking emergency powers to rebuild the shattered bridge along FM 1431, while Travis County is working with the state to craft a temporary crossing into the Sandy Creek community near Leander.
Here's what we know so far.
The FM 1431 bridge over Cow Creek, built in 1960 to connect Lago Vista and Marble Falls, was ripped apart by floodwaters. An aerial photograph shows concrete slabs tossed into the creek bed like dominos.
During the storm, a family's minivan plunged into the creek. Seventeen-year-old Malaya Hammond opened a door so her parents and two siblings could escape, a family friend said. She was swept away and drowned.
The bridge had been "a big connector of work and health care," said Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard, who lives in the area. "There's a big H-E-B in Marble Falls. There's not one in Lago Vista."
State inspection records show that at least 2,000 cars and trucks crossed the two-lane bridge each day. Those crossings included a handful of children who attend school in the Marble Falls Independent School District. Classes resume on Aug. 13, and it's unclear how they'll get to school.
TxDOT's Austin District triggered emergency procedures designed to shave months off the normal bridge building process. The contract will include extra payments for the builder to work fast.
"I don't have an exact timeline now, but it should be much shorter than a traditional bridge replacement project," TxDOT's Austin District Engineer Tucker Ferguson told KUT News.
"We're pushing to get this done in weeks rather than months," he said, adding that a more precise timeline should become clear within a couple weeks.
The last time Ferguson could recall a bridge being built with these emergency powers was in 2018. A crossing on RM 2900 in Kingsland was washed away by floods. That bridge took about six months to replace. But it was considerably larger: 1,200 feet long, compared to the 240-foot-long crossing on RM 1431.
"[The RM 1431 bridge] is still a sizable bridge, but nothing to the extent of the Kingsland Bridge. So we do believe we'll get this replaced quicker," Ferguson said.
Seven miles to the northeast, the only bridge in and out of the Sandy Creek Ranches neighborhood just outside Leander has been shut to everything but foot traffic, forcing hundreds of residents to haul water, groceries and other supplies in by wagon.
"One way in, one way out," said Marian Keener, who's lived in the neighborhood since 1977. "No detour. ... We're just saying prayers."
Completed less than eight years ago, the bridge replaced a low-water crossing that would flood even in minor storms. The bridge cost nearly $900,000 in bond money approved by Travis County voters in 2011.
The Sandy Creek Drive Bridge was constructed at a higher elevation over Long Hollow Creek, but could handle only a "10 to 25 year event," meaning a storm far less severe than what hit over the Fourth of July weekend.
The force of last week's surging floodwaters damaged the bridge's support structures. Late Wednesday, Travis County announced a plan to restore vehicle access to the neighborhood but wouldn't yet say how long it will take.
The plan calls for a temporary low-water crossing or pontoon bridge to be set up over Long Hollow Creek.
Meanwhile, short-term fixes would be done to Sandy Creek Drive Bridge. Repairs to the structures that attach the bridge to the roadway could allow vehicles lighter than 5,000 pounds to cross.
Finally, the county said in its announcement, permanent repairs would be done to Sandy Creek Drive Bridge.
"All phases are being worked on simultaneously. Additional information, including timeline and final bridge assessment, will be released as it becomes available," a county press release said.
The neighborhood is still trying to recover from the devastating floods. On Wednesday, an excavator was lifting cars from the debris so destroyed homes could be torn down.
One volunteer from Ridgeway Baptist Church in Paige, just outside Bastrop, was helping cook 800 meals for residents and volunteers.
"We're Texans, man. This is what we do," Ben Benuck said. "Going back tomorrow."
