Georgetown residents will have more time to review and comment on plans to either repair or replace the two bridges along Austin Avenue that cross the San Gabriel River now that a project-planning timeline has extended through the end of 2018. A final recommendation for the project was initially expected by either the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018. But Ed Polasek, the transportation planning coordinator for the city of Georgetown, said additional time is needed for the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Historical Commission to complete a federally mandated review process for projects involving historic structures that might use federal funding, licenses or permits. The process is known as the Section 106 consultation, named after Section 106 of the National Historical Preservation Act. The two Austin Avenue bridges were completed in 1940 and became eligible in 1999 for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. In May 2017, city transportation officials presented five options, or alternatives, for the bridges project that were selected following a series of presentations and public meetings in 2016 and 2017. The alternatives include one no-build option as well as options to either repair or replace the bridges with construction costs estimated between $7 million and $15.7 million, according to project documents. Construction could take 16 months to 22 months to complete, depending on which alternative is chosen. None of the five alternatives would require a full closure of the bridge, Polasek said, although three alternatives mention possible nighttime closures to complete repairs or for replacement work. “We are going to keep the bridge open the entire time [any construction is underway],” Polasek said. Polasek said the Section 106 process will generate its own recommendation that will include the no-build alternative as well as one of the other four alternatives as preferred options for repair or replacement. The Section 106 process is expected to be completed within the first several months of 2018, according to a revised project-planning timeline. Following the completion of the historic review process, transportation planners will develop an environmental assessment, complete technical reports and coordinate a review with TxDOT. A summary presentation to the Georgetown Transportation Advisory Board and the Georgetown City Council is anticipated in the summer or fall, Polasek said. Officials also plan to hold a public meeting, which will be the fourth public meeting in the planning process, before the end of 2018. The meeting will include a presentation of a final preferred alternative for the bridges. A meeting date has not been set. The city first began considering plans to repair or replace the bridges in 2016. An inspection in December 2013 found structural problems with the bridges, including cracking asphalt as well as rusting and crumbling concrete. In 2014, TxDOT placed load-bearing limits on the bridges that restrict vehicles weighing more than 48,000 pounds from crossing either bridge. Such a limit restricts most fuel and garbage trucks as well as fire department ladder trucks from driving over the bridges. The city commissioned a forensic assessment of the bridges as well as two independent reviews of that assessment in 2016. Forensic testing indicated that the bridges are structurally sufficient. Testing also determined the bridges' steel components remain strong and recommended that TxDOT could raise its load-bearing limits. The full Austin Avenue Bridges Project, which the city is completing in cooperation with TxDOT, includes the study of Austin Avenue for possible transportation improvements between Valley and Third streets. Additional information on the bridges project is available at https://transportation.georgetown.org/austin-avenue-bridges. This story is one update from The January Issue. View the full list of Top 10 stories to follow in 2018 here.