HARLINGEN – City workers have closed off a bridge over the Arroyo Colorado that is part of the city’s hike and bike trail.
The bridge, located at the back of Arroyo Park in Harlingen, is a key link to the city’s popular walking, running and biking trail along the arroyo.
The bridge will be shut down Monday and Tuesday at a minimum, officials said yesterday.
Javier Mendez, director of parks and recreation, said the International Boundary Waters Commission had asked the city to close the wooden walking bridge so it could clear debris and sediment that piled up after recent high water.
“We’re working in collaboration with IBWC,” Mendez said. “They need to clear up some stuff and brush that flowed down the arroyo so we needed to help to be able to access it through our bridge.
“What we’re doing is changing some of the boards at the same time,” Mendez said.
Mendez said the bridge’s structure was not damaged by the high water, and the work being done is mostly cosmetic.
“Eventually we want to replace the boards on all of the (hike and bike) bridges, just because they’re old and starting to crack a little bit on top,” he said.
“Structurally, they’re fine,” he said.
The bridge at the back of Arroyo Park is the only one the IBWC requested to be closed temporarily. Mendez said the city decided to go ahead with replacing the wooden planking on the bridge since it was going to be shut down anyway.
Walkers, hikers and bicyclists can still use the path, Mendez said, they’ll just have to cross over on one of the other pedestrian bridges on the Arroyo that link up to the hike and bike trail.
“I think it will be two days at least to get this thing back open,” Mendez said.
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