Sweetwater Boulevard Bridge over Alcorn Bayou in Sugar Land in need of repairs, city officials say

The city of Sugar land is preparing to perform maintenance on the Sweetwater Boulevard bridge that crosses over Alcorn Bayou.

The city will put out a bid, a process by which the city accepts proposals from different contractors, for the $150,000 project in May and award the contract in June, according to Doug Adolph, Sugar Land’s media relations specialist.

In 2018, Adolph said the city of Sugar Land was notified by the Texas Department of Transportation that the Sweetwater bridge has structural issues, causing the bridge rating to be lowered and the weight limit downgraded until repairs were made.

“The condition rating is a comprehensive rating of the bridge, and includes a rating for various bridge structures such as the bridge deck, channel, culverts, and bridge approaches,” Adolph said in an email. “The inspection looks for cracking, joints spacing, joint sealing, wingwall condition, spalling, slumping, exposed metal, material loss, and many other factors.”

Adolph said the city of Sugar Land is responsible for the maintenance of 117 bridges throughout the city. Bridges in need of repair are identified by city staff who perform routine inspections and inspections conducted by TxDOT, which is required by the federal government to inspect every bridge throughout the state every two years.

Adolph said once construction begins it is expected to last for approximately 60 days. During this time, Adolph said the city will implement a traffic control plan so the bridge can remain open.

While the city of Sugar Land will cover the upfront cost of construction, 80% of the project is eligible to be reimbursed through the Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief Program.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has not had any effect on this project, Adolph said.