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Special Projects
Drainage problems
The caretaker of the Meier Settlement Cemetery was complaining about water standing in the cemetery after heavy rains in the area. The drainage ditch on the south side of 7-mile Ln has been dipped from the intersection of Meier Settlement Rd/Seven Mile Ln going west down to the first creek to allow more water to travel down the south side ditch in hopes of being the solution to this flooding problem.
Hall Dr. Inter-local Agreement
Modifications are being made to this section of Hall Dr. which is 5400 feet. Trees have been trimmed around the culverts and other problem areas, the potholes and depressions have been repaired. Rap material (large rocks) have been placed along the upstream edge behind the guardrail to prevent further washouts. This section of Hall Dr. will be chip sealed at a later date depending on the weather conditions.
Culvert Removal/Installation
The 48”x 40’ culvert was rusting out at the bottom and needed to be replaced. The old culvert was extracted and the new culvert installed. Rap material was placed on the upstream side of the culvert to prevent erosion.
Drainage Project
A drainage ditch has been dug from 1238 Denton Rd (West) 50 yards on each side (east and west) of the driveway at 1238 because of a complaint of flooding problems.
Culvert Removal/Installation
The 36”x 36’ culvert crossing Crook Ln at the Aycock Ln Intersection was too deep into the ground, rusting out on the bottom of the culvert and needed to be replaced. In addition to replacing the rusting culvert with a new 36”x 36’ culvert, other modifications were also made such as raising the depth of the culvert 2 feet, dipping the ditch on the upstream and downstream ends of the culvert and placing rap (large rock) around the upstream end of the culvert and 20 feet along the upstream northside ditch.
Drainage Work
The ditch was dipped from the driveway at 120 Country Haven Ln going south to the intersection of Crook Ln and then going east stopping at the Aycock Ln Intersection to prevent flooding issues in that area.
Culvert Installation
The land owner on the north side of Battle Lake Rd brings in trucks and trailers in off of Battle Lake Rd and needed a wide driveway. He purchased (2) 18”x 24’ culverts and an 18” band. The culverts were banded together and installed to give the landowner a 48’ wide driveway.
Mazanec Rd Culvert (84”x 60’) (7-29-20)
The goal of the Mazanec Road Project was to address drainage problems experienced by the surrounding homeowners. This project began June of 2020. It was determined that rail cars (culverts) needed to be replaced. Ditch work to deepen the ditches along with new culverts were installed at the site. This will allow for more efficient water flow and reduce the amount of flooding in the area. Overgrown vegetation has been addressed.
Mazanec Rd Tigering (6-5-20)
Due to the Mazanec Rd. drainage issues and the replacement of the culvert, the ditches were dug deeper in order to allow more water to flow through the culverts. This should reduce the amount of flooding in the area. Also due to the blind spots on Mazanec Rd., vegetation has been cut along tree trimming for public safety.
S. Vicha Drainage Ditch (6-4-20)
Dip Ditching at 201 S. Vicha Rd. going north, stopped at Hwy. 84 intersection. Cleaning ditches is to ensure proper drainage for the water to be able to flow freely and peacefully at ease and to prevent the water from flooding the residential areas.
Culvert Installation (Old Mart Lake Rd)
Culvert Installation on Old Mart Lake Rd. The installation of this infrastructure was to ensure a tremendous amount of coverage over the top of this size culvert 12” x 30”, which will allow heavy trucks to cross without causing a degree of sinking.
Harrison Rd (New culverts installed and road re-opened)
Harrison Rd. was closed on 5-25-20 until 6-2-20, due to a culvert wash out. It was determined that rust was on the bottom of the culvert which became unstable therefore the culvert was replaced with a 48” x 40’ culvert.
Boys Ranch Rd Culvert
Due to heavy concrete trucks coming and going to 688 Boys Ranch Rd., it was determined the need for a culvert installation with sufficient coverage in order to support the weight of the heavy trucks. The culvert size installed is 24” x 30’.
Heart of Texas Council Of Government
(HOTCOG) Area Agency on Aging is providing groceries to rural senior citizens in unincorporated cities and small communities throughout McLennan County. This program does not replace or interfere with those receiving meals on wheels. It’s just McLennan County giving back to our vulnerable population. McLennan County Road and Bridge Pct. 2 is proud to be a part of this program.
Trading House Lake Trading House Lake has undergone numerous improvements in the past 12 months. New restrooms have been put in place at Park 1. Other improvements include picnic tables, sidewalks, boating ramp extensions, handicap parking area, and adequate lighting for security purposes. At the other parks, rerun has been applied to the road surface in the boat ramp area to prevent from having mud spots. The gravel roads around the lake are frequently bladed as we have had rain so often this year.
Evergreen Cemetery
(Mart)
Battle Yard Stock Tank
(Cleanout)
The stock tank at Battle Yard has been the source of road building water for Pct. 2 for many years. Over a period of time and large amounts of rainfall, this stock tank has silted in and the amount of water that it holds has been greatly reduced. A contractor with an excavator has been hired to dig the outside edges of the tank deeper and as far as his machine can reach since the tank is still currently holding water.
Slew Bridge Reconstruction
The Bridge on Bays Rd has been under reconstruction for the last few months. The old bridge structure had deficiencies such as a cracked headwall, bridge level being too low to prevent flooding, no rock support for the north and south headwalls, and no side rails for public safety. This completed bridge structure has a sturdy concrete base, has side rails for the safety of the traveling public, and the bridge level has been raised 3 feet to help prevent flooding.
Boy’s Ranch Rd Culverts
(18”x 24’) and (18”x 30’)
One tract of land can contain 2 different entrances from 2 different land owners. One of the tracts of land has an entrance with an 18”x 24’ culvert covered with rerun or reground asphalt. The other tract has an entrance with an 18”x 30’ culvert covered with Grade 2 Base.
N. Vicha Culvert Add On
(18”x 24’ culvert & 18” Band)
Customers often call to add to the length of their existing driveway. In order to make a wider driveway for a travel trailer or other large vehicles coming in and out of their property.
S. Hanath-Kuehl Washout
When large volumes of water has no place to go, it often swirls in a circular motion cutting into the soil and digging a hole which often occurs on the downstream side of a culvert which causes a washout. These washouts have to be filled in with large rock to prevent further erosion.
Ottawa St. (Ditch Dipping) The resident who lives on the northeast corner of the Ottawa St. and 8th St. intersection was complaining about her yard flooding. The ditch that runs parallel to Ottawa St. has been dipped about 18 inches deep in order to rectify the flooding problem.
Elk Rd (Spike Machine) This spike machine cuts out the wash boards and makes the road smooth by cutting into the road surface with spikes (teeth) and spreading the material evenly across the road surface. This machine also has an added feature. It has a large magnet that is mounted on the back end of the machine and stretches across the entire length of the machine that picks of any metal objects on the surface of the road such as nails, cans, bolts, wire and any other objects that can cause damage to the tires of vehicles traveling in the area.
2019 Bridge Project
Slew Bridge (New Structure) This bridge located in Pct. 2 is called the Slew Bridge. The bridge was a steel frame bridge with a concrete top. This bridge was unsafe to cross, narrow and had no sides or guardrails. The Slew Bridge was at a level that was too low to prevent flooding and had structural damage to the head walls and wing walls which made the entire bridge a hazard for crossing vehicles. Knife River construction company got the contract to replace the bridge with a safe and more stable structure. This new bridge once complete will be 3 feet higher than the original structure and it will have side rails for added safety to the public. Large Rock (18”x 24”) is being added in front of the north and south headwalls to prevent large volumes of water from eroding around and damaging the headwalls and cause structural damage.
2019 Washout Repair
Old Mart Lake Rd (Washout) Water was flowing over the road on this section of Old Mart Lake Rd due to the broken dam on Battle Lake upstream. Guard rails have been placed on the north edge of the road to help hold the road base in place. Asphalt has been used to fill in the washout caused by the flow of water across the road. Large Rack (8”x12” rock) was placed against the guardrails to prevent the force of water from causing further erosion.
2019 Ditch Dipping
Orchard Lane Drainage The west side drainage ditch at 5084 Orchard Lane has silted in therefore clogging the culvert and not allowing the water to drain. The Pct. 2 ditch dipping crew will be scheduled by the foreman as to when the ditch will be dipped. A one call is done before any ditch work is done in order to locate any phone, cable, or water lines in the area.
2019 Pothole Patching
Radio Tower Rd (Pothole Patching)
When we install culverts across the road at Pct. 2 sometimes the dirt on top of the culvert settles and leaves a low area in the road where the culvert is placed. We usually fill in these low areas with rerun (regrind asphalt) and pack the rerun with vibrating packing machine.
2019 Brush Chipping
N. Pleasant Hill Rd (Chipping)
When tree limbs or trees fall during high winds or bad weather, or when limbs are being cut by Pct. 2 employees for safety reasons, they have to be ground up into mulch and disposed of properly.
2019 No Parking Signs
Old Marlin Rd Bridge (No Parking signs)
There have been numerous reports of travelers in this area parking on the Tehuacana Creek Bridge And fishing from the top of this bridge. Upon approval through Commissioners Court, No Parking Signs have been placed on each end of the bridge to prevent travelers from continuing to park and fish from this bridge. A citation will be issued for any vehicles parked on Tehuacana Creek Bridge at any time.
2019 Shoulder Reclaim
JPM Shaving Shoulders
Over a period of time, using a motor graders to grade the roads leaves ridges on the edges of the road which does not allow the water to run off of the road and into the ditch which causes soft areas on the roads edges which results in base failures to both paved and gravel roads.
2019 Shredding
Battle Rd Shredding Shredding is being done on Battle Rd. The north side of Battle Rd has been shredded but the south side of the road is in the process of being shredded.
Jelly’s Rd (Shredding)
Due to recent rains, the grass in the county ditches have been growing more than normal. Pct. 2 has already shredded their entire Pct. 2 times.
Hall Dr. (Stop sign)
The sign at the intersection of Hall Dr. and Battle Lake Rd was a yield sign in the beginning, but the traffic coming from Hall Dr. toward the intersection of Battle Lake Rd was not slowing down or breaking their speed for the yield sign. Therefore the yield sign was replaced with a stop sign which requires traffic to come to a complete stop or a citation will be issued if a law enforcement official is present.
Elm Lake Rd (36” x 36’ Culverts)
The existing 36” x 30’ culverts were starting to rust out and needed to be changed. Pct.2 is in the process of reconstructing Elm Lake Rd and these culverts needed to be replaced before the reconstruction process is completed. The new culverts are 36” x 36’. These new culverts were ordered with an additional 6 feet in length because with the existing culverts, the edges of the culverts were too close to the road edges and needed an extra 3 feet on the culverts on each side of the road.
Large 12” x 18” rock was placed on the upstream and downstream ends of these new culverts to prevent the water from washing out or under mining the culverts.
Battle Lake Rd (Speed Limit Signs)
Vehicles have been traveling at a rate of 55 to 60 MPH down Battle Lake Rd. This is normal speed for a county road if there is no posted speed limit. During the school year, the school bus makes several stops in the mornings and evenings on Battle Lake Rd to pick up and drop of school kids before and after school. A posted speed limit of 40 MPH has been approved through Commissioners Court for Battle Lake Rd to slow the traffic for the safety of the school kids and the residents in this area.
2019 Drainage Project
4 Mile Rd (96” x 45’ Culvert)
The recent large amounts of rainfall and water sitting inside the culvert for long periods of time has caused this large culvert (8 feet in diameter) to rust at the bottom and needed to be replaced.
4 Mile Rd Ditch Dipping
With the constant flow of water, sometimes the ditches start a buildup of silt, therefore causing the water to flow in a different direction which is across the county roads in certain situations. When these situations occur, the silt has to be dipped out of the ditches in order so resume normal water flow
Kubitza Dr. (4”x8”rock) Due to heavy rains in this area the volume of water that travels down this small channel is sometimes too large to travel through these culverts, therefore going over the road and washing the base from the downstream end of the culverts. To prevent further damage to the Downstream side of the culverts, 4”x 8” rock has been placed on the downstream side of the Culverts. Since this has been done recent heavy rains have not done any further damage to the downstream side of these culverts.
2019 Inter-Local Agreement
Hall Dr. (Inter local Agreement) Recent rains in the area has caused major flooding issues and has caused road washouts in numerous places one such place is on Hall Dr. near Trading House Boat ramp. There is a large volume of water traveling down the ditch and washed out the southeast side of the culvert. Through an Inter-local agreement, The City of Hallsburg paid for the larger 48”x 40’ culvert to replace the existing 36”x 36’ culvert and McLennan County Road and Bridge Pct. 2 installed the culvert in order to prevent further washouts in this area.
2019 Equipment Parking Extension
McLennan County Pct. 2 An Extension will be added to the current building for more space to place vehicles and equipment out of the weather. This building will be 75’x 75 x 16’. Rusting parts, water damage to seats of equipment and other areas of the machines is less apparent when the equipment is under a shed and out of the weather.
Battle Yard Shed Add On Due to the weather’s wear and tear on the vehicles and equipment, Pct. 2 decided to build a 75’ x 75’ shed extension in order to keep the equipment and vehicles from being damaged by the cold and the hot weather when they are out in the open with no overhead protection.
2019 Equipment Parking Shed
McLennan County Pct. 2 McLennan County Road and Bridge Pct. 2 Department has recently built a 40’x 100’x 16’ shed for the Pct.2 trucks and other equipment to be placed. Equipment that is placed under a shed or in a building tends to have less wear and tear and required a lot less maintenance than equipment that is left outside in the weather.
2019 Culvert Installation
Old Mexia Rd (Culvert Installation) The resident at 4222 Old Mexia Rd requested that the existing concrete rings be replaced with a 18”x 30’culvert which is 6 feet longer than the existing concrete rings. The resident needed a wider driveway for large trucks to be able to enter and exit his property. The vegetation was removed from the culvert area to prevent restricted water flow.
Boys Ranch Rd 18”x 30’ driveway culvert Residents who own property along county roads have the option to purchase culverts from the county and have them installed by the Pct. where the driveway is located.
2019 Tree Trimming Project
Coyote Run Rd Tree Trimming When trees continue to grow along the road, sometimes the limbs grow out into the vehicles path of travel and need to be trimmed or cut back so that no damage is done to passing vehicles.
McLennan County Road and Bridge Pct. 2
(Battle Lake Rd Tree Trimming Project)
(2019) The trees on Battle Lake Rd were hanging into the road and needed to be cut back to avoid limbs hitting passing cars.
Culvert Installation Project 2019
McLennan County Road and Bridge Pct. 2
(Vernal Rd Culvert Installation) There were concrete culverts in this driveway on Vernal Rd. The land owner wanted a wider driveway. The concrete rings were 20 feet in length. These concrete rings were removed and replaced with a 18” x 24’ tinhorn adding 4 feet to the width of the driveway.
Elm Lake Rd Gravel Project 2019
McLennan County Road and Bridge Pct. 2
(Elm Lake Rd Gravel) Flexbase is placed on top of the road surface before grinding the road to ensure that there is enough rock in the sub-grade for a stronger base.
Tree Hazard Project 2019
McLennan County Road and Bridge Pct. 2
(Tree Removal due to traffic hazard) Sometimes older trees have a weaker base and tend to start leaning. Saturated soils can also cause the roots to pull through the surface and the tree starts to fall toward the road. These trees need to be extracted before causing an accident.
Brush Removal Project 2019
McLennan County Road and Bridge Pct. 2
(Battle Lake Rd Project) Trees are being cut back to prevent passing cars from scraping their vehicles. After the trees are cut, they are loaded into a dump trailer and hauled to Battle Yard and burned at a later date during times that the wind is not too strong and the burn ban is off.
Precinct 2 Area Clean Up Project 2019
McLennan County Road and Bridge Pct. 2
Cleanup Project In the spring of 2019 Pct. 2 Road and Bridge Dept. organized a cleanup program in which the residents of Pct. 2 could bring old tires and other debris out to the Pct. 2 Yard to be disposed of. There were 3 roll off dumpsters for old couches, TV’s, and other items that the residents were wanting to get rid of. There were two 53 foot box end trailers that were used to house the tires that were brought in. This cleanup effort was successful and lasted 2 weeks.
Old Marlin Rd - Drainage Project 2018
Sign Maintenance on Elk Rd 2018
Retreat Center Rd Patch Work 2018
2018 Elm Lake Rd Tree Trimming
2018 Bud Dr Culvert Installation
2018 Trading Post Rd Culvert Project
2018 Old Marlin Rd Drainage Project
2018 Rice Rd Bridge Project
2017 Projects
Battle Lake Rd Project
Battle Lake Rd has had significant maintenance issues, and that McLennan County has applied various remedies to improve the pavement performance. Expansive soil swelling and shrinking is believed to be the primary cause of the poor performance, although other factors such as construction quality should be considered. The general purpose for this project is for Langerman Foster Engineering Company to provide pavement design and contruction recommendation options that allow the County to better evaluate the performance risks vs the initial costs of various pavement design options. The services performed will be for a lump sum of $23,480. This cost estimate will not be exceeded without prior approval form the Client. BLUE BLUFF ROAD BRIDGE
Blue Bluff Bridge was identified by Road & Bridge Precinct 2 personnel as a bridge that received extreme damage in May of 2015 due to flood waters. During the incident period, rising and rapid flowing floodwaters in an unnamed tributary to the Brazos River south of Waco, Texas caused serious damages to rip rap protecting the south abutment of the bridge on Blue Bluff Road. There was a loss of large (24-inch diameter) stone rip rap and the scour of soil from under the rip rap and channel bed. Circumferential cracking at the south abutment appeared after the event from waterborne debris.
Working with the county engineer and personnel from Emergency Management, Precinct 2 received funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist in the repairs.
This project includes all work necessary to repair the damaged bridge on Blue Bluff Road approximately 1.07 miles south of West Fredrick Street (FM-1860) south of Waco, McLennan County, Texas.
On January 17, 2017, Commissioners Court approved the recommendation from Commissioner Lester Gibson to award a contract to Beck-Reit Construction, Inc. to repair the Blue Bluff Bridge.
Work to be performed by Beck-Reit to repair the Blue Bluff Bridge includes:
• Replace Rock Rubble Rip-Rap eroded from channel and lock in with pumped concrete.
• Encase Support Columns with Steel Cover/Shell and Grouting to address micro-cracking in Columns.
• Excavate south approach, replace headwall, and replace base and roadway.
Blue Bluff Bridge Project
Due to the deterioration of the Blue Bluff Bridge it was slated for repair for Fiscal Year 2011. The structure of this bridge was deteriorating- the approaches were dug out and reinforced. The support pylon under the bridge were washing out around the base therefore making the structure weak. Rip Rap was hauled in, placed under the bridge, lined along the apron walls and placed around the pylon about 8 feet from the bottom to the top of the pylon to strengthen the bridge. The project was started around February 18, 2011 and was completed at around April 4, 2011.
Battle Lake Bridge
Battle Lake Bridge was built due to the collapse of the 1935 box culvert structure in April of 2005. This bridge was built in cooperation with Precinct 3 and took the crew less than a month to complete.
Dulak Number 2
Dulak Number 2 Bridge was built in March 2005 and replaced due to a 5,000l pound axle limit. Original wood structure was 18 foot wide.
Old Mexia (Lucky Branch)
Old Mexia (Lucky Branch) was built in 2000, this was an under rated wood structure in need of replacement.
Old Mexia (Tehuacana Creek)
Old Mexia (Tehuacana Creek) was built in 2000, this was an under rated wood structure in need of replacement.
Kendall Lane
Kendall Lane was built in 2004, the wood decking was in need of replacement and it was only 16 feet wide. The new structure is steel, concrete, and widened to 24 feet.
4 Mile Lane Bridge
The 4 Mile Lane Bridge original structure of wood weakened by heavy farm machinery traffic and a bus route was built in January 2003.
Dulak Bridge Number 1
Replacement of Dulak Bridge Number 1 completed to reinforce structure durability due to heavy farm machinery traffic was built in May 2002.
Calvery-Eskew Number 1 Bridge
Replacement of Calvery-Eskew Number 1 Bridge completed to reinforce structure durability due to heavy farm machinery traffic.
Calvery-Eskew Number 2 Bridge
Calvery-Eskew Number 2 Bridge constructed to replace culverts and alleviate flooding and facilitate water run-off.
Rudy Bridge
The Rudy Bridge was replaced due to a 5,000 pound axle limit. Original wood structure was 16 foot wide.
Possum Trot Bridge
The Possum Trot Bridge was constructed to replace 8 foot culvert washed out after heavy rains. The culverts were washed out in December 2001.
Old Sawmill Bridge
The Old Sawmill Bridge upgraded to strengthen structure and allow for better (wider) access.