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Revetment won’t take private land
Published October 13, 2009
ANGLETON — The bulk of a proposed structure designed to protect a newly rebuilt Bluewater Highway would be underground and not infringe on any private property, Surfside Beach and Treasure Island residents were told during a recent public hearing.
Klotz and Associates Engineer spokesman David Balmos assured property owners at a public meeting last week that construction of a revetment wall from Stanek Road to San Luis Pass wouldn’t require anyone to surrender land. The $24 million project will be paid for with a combination of Federal Highway Administration and state money, Brazoria County Pct. 1 Commissioner Donald “Dude” Payne said.
About 30 island residents attended the meeting at the Brazoria County Courthouse in Angleton, Payne said. The gathering was to inform residents of the next steps for Bluewater Highway — CR 257 — which was severely damaged by Hurricane Ike last September.
“We met to listen to the comments of residents to the proposed revetment along the highway,” Payne said. “With the dunes not there, a tropical storm or even a high tide is going over the road. This will protect the highway.”
If built, the structure will consist of limestone blocks or rocks along the right of way, Balmos said. The bulk of the blocks will be underground with about 6 feet of surface not beneath the sand, he said. The project also will include resurfacing of the road from the Surfside Beach village limits to San Luis Pass.
“Limestone rocks will begin at the edge of the pavement and will be placed below grade,” Balmos said. “You won’t be able to see much of the revetment once it’s done. The majority will be buried.”
The parts of Bluewater Highway most damaged by Ike were in an area often inundated by storms over the past century, Payne said. The revetment will help keep the highway intact in storms up to and including Category 3 strength, he said.
Beach Drive in Surfside Beach was protected by a revetment and wasn’t washed away with Ike. A combined 6 miles of Bluewater Highway were demolished by the storm.
The meeting went well and no problems are expected moving forward with the project, Balmos said.
“It was very positive,” he said. “We assured residents all construction activity will be done in the right of way and nothing will be done on private property.”
Before any action can be taken, commissioners will have to discuss the work in a public meeting and seek bids. Contracts could be awarded early next year and construction could begin in May, Balmos said.
Work will take about nine months, he said.
In mid-February, commissioners awarded contracts worth $2.6 million to W.T. Byler of Houston to build about 13 miles of crushed concrete roadway from the Surfside Beach village limits to Treasure Island to make Bluewater Highway passable.
The Federal Highway Administration agreed to pay for the temporary road from CR 257-M, or Key Largo Street, west to the village limits. The Federal Emergency Management Agency agreed to rebuild the road from Key Largo Street to the San Luis Pass bridge.
The roadway is covered with 4 inches of asphalt from Surfside Beach to San Luis Pass.
John Lowman covers Brazoria County for The Facts. Contact him at 979-849-8581.
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