Mesquite, TX – Sept. 27, 2022 – As a result of the flooding caused by the torrential rainfall on August 22nd, the pedestrian bridge over South Mesquite Creek in the Bruton Sports Complex was washed downstream. Flood waters carried the bridge under the Cartwright Road bridge before finally settling in Hodges Park. The steel pedestrian bridge, measuring 94 feet long and 7.5 feet wide is estimated to weigh approximately 20,000 lbs. City staff reached out to McIntyre Towing in Mesquite, to utilize two heavy-duty wreckers with extendable booms to lift the bridge out of South Mesquite Creek and place it in Hodges Park where the bridge could be assessed for damage. The next task at hand was to relocate the bridge from Hodges Park back upstream to the Bruton Sports Complex. City staff made contact with several mobile home transport companies and helicopter lift services. Staff found that the weight of the bridge exceeded the capabilities of the available helicopters and the length of the bridge made the tight turns nearly impossible for transport companies to maneuver through the parks without damaging trees, soccer fields, park monuments, playground equipment, street lighting and power poles.
On September 9th, staff from Streets, Utilities, Solid Waste, Equipment Services and Parks met at Hodges Park to develop a plan and iron out the logistics to move the bridge with City staff and equipment. To complete this task, it would take coordination from within the various divisions of Public Works along with Parks and Recreation and the Mesquite Police Department. The operation was scheduled for Friday, September 23rd at 9:30 a.m.
Highly-skilled operators were selected for the large excavators to lift the bridge onto a lowboy trailer, which was pulled behind a Solid Waste transfer station truck. Once the bridge was on the trailer, it would be chained in a manner to allow one end of the bridge to pivot while the other end of the bridge could swing freely and be maneuvered around obstacles by an excavator. Once the bridge reached Cartwright Road, Mesquite Police Officers blocked traffic so that the bridge could be guided into the westbound lanes. The bridge was carefully transported over the Cartwright bridge, under low-hanging power lines, and then unloaded in Cartwright Road, along the Bruton Sports Complex. Two excavators once again lifted the bridge off of the trailer, moved it down the embankment, guided it around the soccer fields and placed it next to the creek where it will be repaired and scheduled for placement back on the bridge abutments.
The move took 3 hours and saved the residents of Mesquite an estimated $200,000 by moving the bridge in-house.
Staff Involved:
Public Works:
Curt Cassidy, P.E. – Director of Public Works
Tony Douglas – Manager of Streets
Russell Mask - Asst. Manager of Streets
Joe Williams – Supervisor, Streets
Jimmy Monroy – Supervisor, Streets
Ralph Molina – Crew Chief, Streets
Rudy Silva – Crew Chief, Streets
David Flores – Equipment Operator, Streets
Ronald Aldridge – Manager of Solid Waste
Timothy Fuller – Asst. Manager of Solid Waste
Kenneth Machala – Supervisor, Solid Waste
Chris Bombe – Heavy Equipment Operator, Solid Waste
Dustin Aldridge – Manager of Utilities
Joey Arriaga – Asst. Manager of Utilities
Khris Bender – Crew Chief, Utilities
Josh Barnes – Crew Chief, Utilities
Devin Edwards – Maintenance Worker II, Utilities
Jarrod Beck – Equipment Mechanic III, Equipment Services
Parks & Recreation:
Elizabeth Harrell – Director of Parks and Recreation
Chad Krajca – Manager of Park Services
Will Bedford – Supervisor, Parks
Mesquite Police Department:
Aaron Paredes – Police Officer, Mesquite Police Department
Colton Ables – Police Officer, Mesquite Police Department
