During construction, the portion of CR 285, near its intersection with CR 2215 (Lake Meadows Road), to FM 848, will be closed to thru traffic. This bridge services the east side of Lake Tyler and a portion of Lake Tyler East. The detour around Lake Tyler will be about 16 miles.

The reconstruction of a bridge near Lake Tyler has spurred concerns from residents and even the U.S. Postal Service about detours.

The project will close a portion of CR 285 near the intersection at CR 2215, Lake Meadows Road, to FM 848 to through-traffic for about two months.

The bridge services the east side of Lake Tyler and a part of Lake Tyler East, according to Smith County. The detour around the lake is about 16 miles.

Smith County Engineer Frank Davis gave a briefing Tuesday during the Commissioners Court meeting to address the concerns.

“We know this will be a hardship for many people traveling the Lake Tyler area, but we thought this was the best time to reconstruct this much-needed bridge,” Davis previously said.

The bridge is 25 feet from outside to outside, leaving only about a 23-and-a-half foot interior for drivers, Davis said. This project will widen the interior to 26 feet.

A Texas Department of Transportation inspection rated the bridge as “fair.” Davis said the bridge was built in 1959 and is in need of replacement to meet current standards and for future road expansion.

Charles Bullard, who lives in the area, said the detour caused by the project might be inconvenient, but he agrees the bridge needs to be rebuilt.

“That bridge definitely needs to be replaced. It’s very narrow, and with the amount of traffic that goes through there, you better stop if you’re in an automobile and there’s a cement truck or a dump truck coming towards you,” he said. “It is time to have that bridge replaced.”

Bullard lives on CR 2215, which ends as a dead-end before meeting Tucson Oaks Drive. Many people have asked about using the space between those roads as an easement during construction, however, it is privately owned property, and the county cannot create an easement without owners’ permission.

Davis said he has been speaking with property owners at the end of CR 2215 since August about using it and Tucson Oaks as an alternate detour.

The about 5-foot strip of property between the two roads was used as a “kind or reserve strip” when the subdivisions on the roads were platted, Davis said. This no longer is permissible by state law, but since it is private property, the two roads cannot be connected.

While the roads may not be open for everyone to use as a detour, first responders have been given access by property owners, Davis said.

Greg Jenkins, who spoke Tuesday at the Commissioners Court representing the U.S. Postal Service, asked if carriers also can gain access to use the area between CR 2215 and Tucson Oaks as a temporary easement.

Allowing the U.S. Postal Service to use this area as an easement would help carriers and the community they deliver to, he said. The mail is delivered seven days a week, and having to take about an 18-to 20-mile detour each day would be “a big hindrance on the postal service financially,” he said.

Davis offered Jenkins contact information and said his request would have to go through the property owners.

Davis said he also considered building a bypass by the bridge and even had a design for it, but there were safety concerns.

The creek the bridge goes over is back water for Lake Tyler and is deeper than it appears, Davis said. His concern is possible flooding, which could put the temporary bypass underwater and even wash it out. If it were to be washed out, the contractor would have to stop work on the bridge to repair it, as well.

Davis said he is also concerned with a bypass because there is a good bit of traffic in the area with buses and parents going to and from school.

The area where the bridge is located serves Chapel Hill, Arp and Whitehouse school districts and was chosen for reconstruction during the summer while schools are out, according to the county. The bridge is expected to be completed before the start of classes in the fall.

The contractor, Stateline Construction, is ahead of schedule. Construction is expected to last 45 days, but the county gave the contractor 54 days to account of any bad weather or supply issues, Davis said.

After the bridge is completed, more work will be done to CR 285, but a road closure will not be necessary, Davis said. When that work begins, there may be single-lane closures, but traffic will still be allowed around construction.

Construction will include CR 285, CR 2274 and CR 2275 for a total of 8.5 miles. The work will include grinding the existing roadway, cement treating it, widening it to 27 feet and asphalt overlay, according to the county.

The projects are part of the county’s Road and Bridge program.