Brays Bayou Master Plan

[Highrise Tower]

Braeswood at Chimney Rock. They're creating one wide bridge to replace the two small bridges? Just like they did down the block on Hillcroft.

[Highrise Tower]

[Highrise Tower]

[rechlin]

They finally started demolishing the Buffalo Speedway bridge this past week:

[Highrise Tower]

[hindesky]

They have also torn down the Buffalo Speedway bridge over Brays. Actually was a good thing for me because I was chasing a Bike Tag somewhere on Brays and this forced me turn around and go eastbound where I ended up finding it.

The Bike Tag turned out to be at McGregor Park near UH.

[Triton]

1 hour ago, hindesky said:

They have also torn down the Buffalo Speedway bridge over Brays. Actually was a good thing for me because I was chasing a Bike Tag somewhere on Brays and this forced me turn around and go eastbound where I ended up finding it.

The Bike Tag turned out to be at McGregor Park near UH.

Bike Tag?

[JLWM8609]

On 3/13/2021 at 9:29 PM, Highrise Tower said:

Braeswood at Chimney Rock. They're creating one wide bridge to replace the two small bridges? Just like they did down the block on Hillcroft.

They didn't replace any bridges at Hillcroft. It's been one big bridge since the 60s. They raised the current Hillcroft bridge.

[JLWM8609]

The big construction sign on Almeda and MacGregor says the Almeda Rd. bridge is closing on April 16th.

[hindesky]

1 hour ago, Triton said:

Bike Tag?

It's a game on reddit/bikehouston. Someone finds a unique accessible spot in Houston(most of the players play it inside the loop, the few times someone ventured outside the loop the game almost died). They take a pic of their bike at the undisclosed site and it becomes the current Tag. Riders have to find it and then create a new Bike Tag. It has gotten very popular since the lockdown but I've been playing it since Bike Tag #38 and am one of the most frequent players. It is up to Bike Tag #334 with the Tag I created on today's ride. If you go to the website one of the players created a map of all the found Tags to try to keep repeat Tags out of the game. I love playing, it gives something to do on my on my ride and is challenging to figure out where the Tag is. I use Google & Maps, having previous knowledge of the Tag, and looking up clues in the pic. Plus when riding your'e always thinking about possible locations for a new future Tag.

https://www.reddit.com/r/bikehouston/

 

 

[samagon]

21 hours ago, hindesky said:

They have also torn down the Buffalo Speedway bridge over Brays. Actually was a good thing for me because I was chasing a Bike Tag somewhere on Brays and this forced me turn around and go eastbound where I ended up finding it.

 

The Bike Tag turned out to be at McGregor Park near UH.

such an under utilized park!

[Highrise Tower]

Taking out trees in the median on Chimney Rock.  Any idea on the scope of work here?

[hindesky]

The trails by Hermann Park have had these "Closed Trails" signs for years while heading eastbound towards 288 and beyond. Originally they were put there when 288 was doing HOV work and the signs actually meant the trail was closed but they never took them down. It's been well over a year since they finished. I've ridden past the signs for a long time and this time they were right. The trail is blocked off for replacement of the Almeda St bridges. I was able to maneuver around them very carefully but when the bridge actually comes down no one will be able to. I rode by here on Thursday and there was no problem.

[samagon]

and at the same time, the Lawndale bridge is open!

not sure if the bike trail is open to go with it though.

[X.R.]

Holy S...they are taking down Almeda St.'s bridges? What is the timeline on that?

Man, I can't remember the last time the city attacked infrastructure issues like this head on and so rapidly. I hope this does help with flooding. 

[jmitch94]

They seem to just be replacing the bridges, is this going to help with flooding or does is just replace worn out bridges and improve traffic flow? 

[Houston19514]

The current (Almeda) bridge will be demolished and replaced with a higher, longer and wider bridge. This will increase the capacity of the channel, allowing for more water to flow under the bridge. The new bridge will include five 11-foot wide lanes, a left turn lane and 10-foot sidewalks. Construction will begin in Winter 2020/2021 and is scheduled to last approximately one year, ending in Winter 2021/2022.

https://www.projectbrays.org/all-segments/segment-2/about-almeda-rd-bridge/

Edited April 26, 2021 by Houston19514

[samagon]

13 hours ago, jmitch94 said:

They seem to just be replacing the bridges, is this going to help with flooding or does is just replace worn out bridges and improve traffic flow? 

the bridges will be higher, and the pilings will be fewer. so there will be less impediment to the flow of water.

theoretically, this should allow more volume of water to move.

[bobruss]

The Brays  Project is a great example of recognizing a problem and implementing a studied approach to flood management. The addition of  many new retention ponds, the construction of new bridges, and the re-shaping of the contours and widths of the bayou hopefully will allow for more capacity, and will mitigate most of the flooding issues. The bonus to everyone is the  creation of new and improved  hike and bike paths which have become  some of the most important connectors in our alternative transportation system. It has also brought about the creation of many new parks and recreational areas. I think this is a win win win. Especially for the home owners along Brays bayou who have suffered through so many devastating floods. Kudos to everyone involved in this massive undertaking and hopefully it truly makes a difference.

I just wish they could do something about the bottleneck at 288 where the bridges, concrete supports, and earthworks still create a serious threat to the med center.

[Houston19514]

1 hour ago, bobruss said:

I just wish they could do something about the bottleneck at 288 where the bridges, concrete supports, and earthworks still create a serious threat to the med center.

That area has already been addressed.  The original plan called for raising those bridges, but from a 2010 article on the Project Brays website:

"Furthermore, rather than replacing the S.H. 288 Bridge to accommodate a wider channel, engineers were able to design a wider bayou under the bridge using 67,000 square feet of retaining walls – a more practical and less expensive alternative to reconstructing the bridge, Farid [Project Brays Program Manager] said. “We’re still able to achieve the same hydraulic requirements in the bayou but at a lower cost and with far less disruptions to drivers,” he added."

https://www.projectbrays.org/press-releases/the-harris-county-flood-control-district-begins-one-of-the-largest-phases-of-project-brays/

[rechlin]

On 4/24/2021 at 7:27 PM, Highrise Tower said:

Taking out trees in the median on Chimney Rock.  Any idea on the scope of work here?

This bridge is also being replaced.  They are doing a single bridge, not a double bridge, and I believe they are taking out the trees because the new bridge will go down the middle. The same is being done at South Rice.

New Chimney Rock bridge:

New South Rice bridge:

[Highrise Tower]

On 4/27/2021 at 2:59 PM, rechlin said:

This bridge is also being replaced.  They are doing a single bridge, not a double bridge, and I believe they are taking out the trees because the new bridge will go down the middle. The same is being done at South Rice.

Large tree before it was taken out.

Median being worked on.

[hindesky]

Almeda St bridge is gone, traffic must be hell around this, there is no easy detour. In the second pic it shows a water pipe bridge and a walkway.

[jmitch94]

I live in the apartments just south down Almeda and surprising traffic hasn't been that terrible. 

[Houston19514]

22 hours ago, hindesky said:

Almeda St bridge is gone, traffic must be hell around this, there is no easy detour.

There are two alternative crossing within a mile to the southwest and two alternative crossings within a mile to the east.

[august948]

On 4/27/2021 at 10:13 AM, bobruss said:

The Brays  Project is a great example of recognizing a problem and implementing a studied approach to flood management. The addition of  many new retention ponds, the construction of new bridges, and the re-shaping of the contours and widths of the bayou hopefully will allow for more capacity, and will mitigate most of the flooding issues. The bonus to everyone is the  creation of new and improved  hike and bike paths which have become  some of the most important connectors in our alternative transportation system. It has also brought about the creation of many new parks and recreational areas. I think this is a win win win. Especially for the home owners along Brays bayou who have suffered through so many devastating floods. Kudos to everyone involved in this massive undertaking and hopefully it truly makes a difference.

I just wish they could do something about the bottleneck at 288 where the bridges, concrete supports, and earthworks still create a serious threat to the med center.

Two of the stormwater detention areas on upper Brays they turned into magnificent parks with the detention area landscaped into lakes (Arthur Storey and Fiorenza Parks).  I hope they repeat this brilliant strategy on the other bayous around town and then connect them all with bayou-side hike and bike trails.

[JLWM8609]

12 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

There are two alternative crossing within a mile to the southwest and two alternative crossings within a mile to the east.

You can also take a u-turn on MacGregor just a block or two west of the bridge to cross to the other side.

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

Almeda St. bridge.

 

 

[samagon]

Telephone road looks like it's getting closer to being done.

I didn't realize that they were doing the bridge over 75th street as well. it's currently closed.

[hindesky]

1 minute ago, samagon said:

Telephone road looks like it's getting closer to being done.

I didn't realize that they were doing the bridge over 75th street as well. it's currently closed.

I saw them doing work on the Calhoun St bridge but it just looks like cosmetic repairs I think. They have it closed to traffic though.

[hindesky]

This the second Friday that I haven't seen any work or workers on site.  I see zero progress from last week. At this rate this will be taking forever. I wonder what is going on?

[hindesky]

Calhoun St bridge is going to be replaced, it has 6 rows of columns which could really impede water flow. Plus it looks like they will raise it too, the south end streets are being dug up.

[hindesky]

Back at work after not seeing any workers for the last 2 Fridays on the Almeda St bridge.

[X.R.]

I never noticed the six columns on the Calhoun bridge, and my question to the designers on the forum: was water flow and the like not a thought when these bridges were built? If they are able to do such a bridge with two sets of columns or what not vs 6, why not do that from the beginning? I am 100% for all of this, it just seems like alot of what is done by the city of Houston is correcting design choices that overutilized concrete/construction materials. 

[rechlin]

Concrete is far stronger now than it used to be, and these bridges are quite old.  If you look at concrete bridges in general, there has been a trend in a reduction of columns over time, especially comparing bridges built in the 1930s (my guess on the age of this bridge) to those built today.

[MexAmerican_Moose]

Here in Texas, the "row of columns" are called bents, in some other places in the country/world, they're called piers. The first and last bents of a bridge are called abutments.

The number of bents is determined by superstructure type (CIP slab, slab beams, box beams, concrete i-girders or steel girders) and hydraulics of the stream. The bigger the beam, => the longer the span, => the less number of bents, => the deeper the bridge, => the less space under the bridge for water to flow.

The water flow through a bridge is calculated by hydraulic engineers who determine whether the bridge needs to be raised or extended to accommodate the water flow.

[H-Town Man]

2 minutes ago, MexAmerican_Moose said:

Here in Texas, the "row of columns" are called bents, in some other places in the country/world, they're called piers. The first and last bents of a bridge are called abutments.

The number of bents is determined by superstructure type (CIP slab, slab beams, box beams, concrete i-girders or steel girders) and hydraulics of the stream. The bigger the beam, => the longer the span, => the less number of bents, => the deeper the bridge, => the less space under the bridge for water to flow.

The water flow through a bridge is calculated by hydraulic engineers who determine whether the bridge needs to be raised or extended to accommodate the water flow.

Less space for water to flow?

 

[MexAmerican_Moose]

13 minutes ago, H-Town Man said:

Less space for water to flow?

Yes, in bridge design, the bridge engineer doesn't change the road profile (difficult to change in urban areas), so the deeper beam will create less area under the bridge for the water to flow. More area was added (thicker bridge) to impede water flow than was removed by taking out a couple of bents.

However, less bents is also good because it prevents debris from being trapped at the columns and impeding water flow. It takes just a couple of iterations to get it right.

Also a lot of the new bridges are being built with recently updated rain/hydraulic data.

Edited July 13, 2021 by MexAmerican_Moose

[samagon]

driving home last night I noticed that the Telephone Road bridge appears to be near completion, from my untrained eye, it looks like they just need to add some landscaping, and paint some lines on the road.

I also made a point of looking at the Wayside bridge, it has many columns, or as I am learning from this thread, bents, so I guess that one will probably go under the knife after the finish Telephone?

I wonder about Spur 5 near UH, will those need to be rebuilt too?

[j_cuevas713]

On 7/12/2021 at 11:58 AM, X.R. said:

I never noticed the six columns on the Calhoun bridge, and my question to the designers on the forum: was water flow and the like not a thought when these bridges were built? If they are able to do such a bridge with two sets of columns or what not vs 6, why not do that from the beginning? I am 100% for all of this, it just seems like alot of what is done by the city of Houston is correcting design choices that overutilized concrete/construction materials. 

That's exactly what it is. We are correcting a lot of things from poor design and planning. 

[MexAmerican_Moose]

I'm sure the required hydraulic opening of the original bridge design (open area under bridge) is much, much lower than what is calculated now (newer rainfall data, more construction upstream of the bayou/more stormwater runoff).

https://www.projectbrays.org/all-segments/segment-1/about-telephone-bridge/

 

https://bridgehunter.com/tx/harris/bh50785/

This bridge is from 1931!! Great service life. I like the old school rails on the bridge tho, i wish we constructed more similar rails in TX. We cant because of the traffic rating required at high speeds.

Edited July 14, 2021 by MexAmerican_Moose

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

On 7/14/2021 at 3:44 PM, MexAmerican_Moose said:

 

https://bridgehunter.com/tx/harris/bh50785/

This bridge is from 1931!! Great service life. I like the old school rails on the bridge tho, i wish we constructed more similar rails in TX. We cant because of the traffic rating required at high speeds.

you have to remember that bride was built for Model T type cars, back when the Old Spanish Trail was the main east-west route in the southern US.  It looks like a typical 1920's bridge, you can still find them all over the place, most have been decommissioned

[MexAmerican_Moose]

i knew i had it seen it before in the standards, i need to do more low speed bridges...found a TxDot rail standard for an aesthetically pleasing rail

https://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/cmd/cserve/standard/bridge/rlstd021-20.pdf

[H-Town Man]

I am kind of surprised that the concrete paving of the bayou channel has lasted so well. Considering that the concrete at the condo tower that collapsed in Florida was "rapidly deteriorating" because of standing pools of water, this must be a very different type of concrete if it can go 70+ years of constant water and debris and still look like it's ready for another 70.

 

[Houston19514]

52 minutes ago, H-Town Man said:

I am kind of surprised that the concrete paving of the bayou channel has lasted so well. Considering that the concrete at the condo tower that collapsed in Florida was "rapidly deteriorating" because of standing pools of water, this must be a very different type of concrete if it can go 70+ years of constant water and debris and still look like it's ready for another 70.

 

Also not exposed to salt water.

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

also not exposed to explosives.... (yeah, watch the video in slo motion)

[cloud713]

12 hours ago, Tumbleweed_Tx said:

also not exposed to explosives.... (yeah, watch the video in slo motion)

You can’t be serious.

[ArtNsf]

On 4/5/2021 at 6:29 PM, hindesky said:

They have also torn down the Buffalo Speedway bridge over Brays. Actually was a good thing for me because I was chasing a Bike Tag somewhere on Brays and this forced me turn around and go eastbound where I ended up finding it.

The Bike Tag turned out to be at McGregor Park near UH.

 

forgive my stupidity here, but just wondered what a "bike tag" is ?  Thanks.

 

 

 

[hindesky]

56 minutes ago, ArtNsf said:

 

forgive my stupidity here, but just wondered what a "bike tag" is ?  Thanks.

 

 

 

Bike Tag is a game some people play on Reddit/bikehouston https://www.reddit.com/r/bikehouston/. You find a unique accessible site and take a pic of your bike with the object/site/mural. Riders have to find that tag and then create a new tag. I've been playing for years and is something I often look for when riding around. You look for clues in the pic and then use Google/Google Maps to try finding the pic. It got really popular during the covid shutdown since many were working from home. It has slowed down recently because many are back at work but were are up to Tag #367. I first started playing at Tag#39. Someone has now created a Bike Tag map to help prevent reusing past tags.