San Marcos declines plan to give area bridges a facelift

At its regular meeting Jan. 20, San Marcos City Council ultimately declined paying for the creation of an aesthetic lighting master plan that would pave the way for creative illumination to be added to areas throughout the city including the Aquarena Springs Drive overpass project, which will construct a bridge over the Union Pacific railroad tracks that cross the road near Bobcat Stadium. Other bridges that would be included in the proposed plan include I-35 intersections with Aquarena Springs, Centerpoint Road, Guadalupe Street, Hopkins Street, McCarty Lane andWonder World Drive, as well as the Wonder World Drive overpass. Laurie Moyer, director of capital improvements and engineering, said she and City Manager Jared Miller will work on bringing back alternative ideas to the council. "My sense is that they are still interested in pursuing something [related to aesthetic lighting]," Moyer said. "They would like some input into where that is going to go and maybe a budget amount. Im not sure how were going to move forward on that." The plan that was ultimately voted down at the Jan. 20 meeting would have cost $149,785 and would include design and permitting for the addition of aesthetic lighting on the Aquarena Springs project as well as three designs for each of the six other bridges in the city. The Aquarena Springs bridge is not going to be your standard, run-of-the-mill bridge, Councilman Jude Prather said. It is going to be next to our largest sporting venue, and it's going to provide a shaded structure next to the Texas State football stadium. Some council members were hesitant to move forward with the plan because of cost concerns. Adding aesthetic lighting can cost $500,000-$1 million, Moyer said. "The only concern I have is the cost," Councilman John Thomaides said. "It's not cheap. It can be very elaborate, and it can also be very well-lit with just white light, which I think should be an option of ours as well." Lighting has been budgeted into the Aquarena Springs overpass project for $853,380, Moyer said. The initial plan calls for black powder-coated streetlights to begin at Thorpe Lane and continue west along the access road that will run adjacent to the overpass as well as on the overpass itself. The project would also include black powder-coated lighting under the bridge structure. Officials said the city is currently anticipating about $2.6 million in savings from pass-thru toll funding, a TxDOT program that allows cities to fund upfront road construction costs and reimburses the cities based on the number of cars that travel on the road. The funds must be spent on portions of the state highway system. Each of the areas proposed for aesthetic lighting would be eligible for funding through pass-thru toll funds.