Three words: Find alternate routes.
There’s about to be a lot of yelling about Yale Street, as the historic span makes way for a modern replacement.
Crews will close the bridge carrying the road over White Oak bayou on April 18 to prepare for demolition. For the next 20 months, drivers in the area will have to do without the segment of Yale.
Signs warning motorists were installed recently by the Texas Department of Transportation, finalizing that construction is imminent. Detours are planned, but many drivers are expecting to avoid the area entirely.
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The bridge, built in 1931, is one of seven bridges in Houston listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Though the designation doesn’t save the bridge, it does require a more meticulous process to replace it.
The bridge has been a source of discussion for years, as commercial development south of it has increased. TxDOT nearly closed the bridge in 2012, when trucks weighing more than 3,000 pounds were restricted from using it because of structural concerns.
The last update I have on this is from July of 2014, so no one can say this has been rushed. At least the construction on Shepherd is almost finished, so that will serve well as an alternate route. If you’re the type that blows a gasket when you get stuck waiting for a freight train to pass, though, your only option with an underpass is Studemont. This is going to be a long 20 months. Swamplot, which was first to have this, has more.