CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — City of Corpus Christi officials said that the deterioration to the mud bridge is is in such bad shape it is requesting that TxDOT move up its biennial inspection of the bridge, which is scheduled for 2023.
"The situation is a little bit worse than we thought," said city manager Peter Zanoni. "We're not gonna sugarcoat this."
He said crews have been inspecting the bridge's pilings by boat, and that officials know of "deficiencies in at least four of the columns, but there may be even more."
Public works director Ernesto de la Garza the city's structural engineer has now raised concerns that could delay the bridge re-opening in 30 days.
"Based on those findings, our concern is: Are we gonna go in there with maintenance repairs for the issues that we're finding to the point where it's cost prohibitive," de la Garza said. "In addition to that, will it extend our timeline?"
The weight of vehicles on some bridges is absorbed by footings, which allow the weight on the bridge to be distributed proportionally from the top down. The footings under the bridge's columns, or pilings, are typically buried underground, supporting the bridge from below.
The mud bridge -- which was built in 1985 -- however, was designed so that the pilings, or columns, themselves support the bridge above the ground. It does so with the help of what are called bent caps, or a concrete beam at the top of the column, that absorb some of the shock of vehicles' weight, and makes it possible for the piling and ground underneath to support it.
"If our piling is showing signs of corrosion, then we have a concern about how the bridge system handles loading," de la Garza said in an email. "Only structural experts can make that determination."
The majority of the issues, he said, are between the bent cap and the waterline.
De la Garza said the repairs the city announced to the channel banks, or what Zanoni referred to as "embankments" in his news conference last week, will continue in the case that TxDOT's inspection does not lead to that agency taking action. Crews will work through Thursday, de la Garza said, and then pick back up Tuesday after the Arctic front has passed.
"We do understand the impact to the public and that there is a major inconvenience, that's why we're speaking to TxDOT and advancing that to their leadership about the sense of urgency for the issue that we're dealing with on that bridge."
Corpus Christi Director of Public Works Ernesto De La Garza previously told 3NEWS the original sinkhole on the bridge was created by erosion and natural aging.
"Happens on most bridges sometimes. They get old enough," De La Garza said. "You'll have high tide, low tide erode the material that's holding up the pavement material. So that's what gave in and that's what was causing a two-foot hole on the right wheel path headed westbound."
De La Garza also said at that time the repairs would only take a couple of days, which later changed to up to a month to complete, depending on availability of materials and workers and good weather.
TxDOT has plans to replace the bridge in 2026, but the City has begun the dialog with TxDOT to expedite the timeline. The estimated cost of the new bridge is $20.3 million, according to a statement from the City.
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