Flower Mound Online News

Were we dreaming? Does anyone else remember stories about plans to build a new wider bridge and intersection for FM407 crossing I-35?

Click on Image for larger view

For that matter, does anyone remember construction work actually starting on such a project a couple of years back? I guess we woke up…only to find that the old bridge decided to take matters into it’s own hand and disintegrate…along with our dream.
The FM407 bridge over I-35 was built in 1960 and 47 years of community growth and traffic finally got the better of it on Tuesday. Giant pieces of concrete fell from the bridge creating a 3 foot hole you could look through and see the rebar and yep, even I-35 below!

Now they have since patched the hole, but in looking at this picture on the right, there’s still something unnerving. Look at the rest of the road surface 6 feet away. Looks fragile doesn’t it! (Click on the image for a larger view) And note where the workers are standing, well away from the hole on more solid ground, leaning towards it and pointing…saying “Thatsa Big %#@&!! Hole!” A little more and it would eat my Nieces VW Beetle!

Now for those of us unlucky enough to be heading up I-35 with plans of exiting on 407, that big hold was a big headache late Tuesday, delaying traffic by up to an hour on both I-35, the access road, Valley Ridge, and the Lookie-loos southbound as well. Don’t you just love how officials were trying to minimize it’s impact by saying that “just one Northbound lane was closed” due to the hole! That translate to “Thatsa Big %#@&!! Hole! and we don’t know what may fall next!

Seriously, the community and drivers that day were extremely lucky that there were no injuries from the damage, either on or under the bridge. Reminders of the tragedy in Minnesota are still quite vivid.

We’ve attached a copy of the letter written by Congressman Michael Burgess after the event to the Texas Transportation Commission Chairman, Ric Williamson. Click here to read his letter.

Now about that new and improved bridge…were we dreaming?

For a CBS news report on the bridge and story, click here.