KERR COUNTY, Texas – Over the Fourth of July weekend, Kerr County was struck by severe flash flooding that has left over 100 people dead and many more missing.
While donations and volunteers have been overwhelming, there is still a lot of work to be done in recovery efforts, specifically on the roadways.
KSAT visited the Lemos Street Bridge in Kerrville, which was inundated with an estimated 20 to 25 feet of water, according to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
The bridge was also filled with debris from top to bottom, leaving the roads undrivable after the waters receded.
TxDOT went to work immediately, checking the Lemos Street Bridge’s structure and columns for stability.
While it was deemed safe after days of closure, slabs of concrete were stripped entirely off the bridge, as well as a damaged upper railing due to water rushing through the area.
“We had pretty high stacks of debris that were attributed to the damage that you see on that rail,” Charles Benavidez, a TxDOT district engineer for TxDOT San Antonio, said.
Benavides gave KSAT an update on Highway 39 and Farm-to-Market Road 1340 in Ingram and Hunt.
TxDOT estimates said close to a mile of structure was washed away in different parts of these highways. Benavides said they are in the process of fixing the washout on the pavement and culverts.
“But with the amount of water that went through there and the velocity that it went through, it really did some damage to our road that we really hadn’t seen before,” he said.
According to Benavides, Highway 39 and FM 1340 are likely to stay closed for at least another month.
While the Lemos Street Bridge reopened to the general public last week, debris remains.
TxDOT is asking the public not to walk underneath the bridge or on the sidewalks at this time until the area is cleared.
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