The story behind the Cypress Creek Bridge

It’s just a Bridge. to the casual observer yes it’s just a bridge. But not really at all.

It was 03’-04’ It had been talked about and now finally seemed traction was at hand and it just might happen.

We had heard and had preliminary discussions between the City/County and TxDot on the actual widening of RR-12 as it comes into the Square area and what about the small 2 lane bridge spanning the Cypress Creek right at the Square, it was widely accepted for the widening to be effective the bridge would also have to be widened, if that were made a 3 lane bridge then yes the 3 lanes could and really should go all the way or near to Dairy Queen/Joe Wimberley Blvd and access to the Post Office.

Soon TxDot was back and during a public meeting over viewing the entire scope of the widening effort including outlines and sketches of the new 3 lane Cypress Creek bridge, TxDot offered 3 models or renditions of my words “Small town” bridges, model #7 10 and #21, with the question, what one did we favor the most The common rumbling was I/we don’t like any of them, but ONE voice stood out, saying “WE can do better”.

Soon local emails were being exchanged and included was a new small town bridge design, I liked the 1st iteration, but soon we were up to the third iteration or revision #3. TxDot was silent, soon the County became involved in guiding us back toward #7,10 or 21 and make a choice, soon please, was the prevailing mantra.

It was tense, the Mayor of the time was savvy and as well favored the “we can do better” concept approach. Mayor Klepfer and several other local supporters as well State Rep Patrick Rose soon begin meeting directly with TxDot to smooth out the finer points and get it all wrapped up and in a box acceptable for TxDot approval.

The initial TxDot offerings all featured FLY OVER type bridge design construction, wherein the Cypress Creek was 30’ below the bottom of the bridge with RR-12 landing at near the present pedestrian crosswalk on the N side of the Square. In the background of all this was a local Architect who was offering a near grade level, terrain following bridge replete with pedestrian walkways on each side of the bridge as well allowing for “pass thru” floodwaters and design of the supporting walls.

TxDot initially expressed safety concerns, ability to minimize bridge damage during flooding conditions. At each one of these points of concern the local group produced directly from the TxDot engineering guidelines, doodling’s and engineering date to fully support the approval of the present day bridge we now enjoy. This was all done and completed in a near zero emotion, just fact driven community supported designed replacement bridge.

Mayor Klepfer had wisely empowered the local architect of the new bridge to give it his best effort and make it happen. it worked, and oh so well did it ever.

This local retired architect became a trusted and so proven resource for every elected Mayor and Council that wanted to avail themselves of his services or now most often called “doodling’s” . This architect person had the uncanny ability to sit and listen to your vision of conditions, take the real and most often unfavorable existing situations, then always in 3-5 days return with a “few doodling’s” even I soon learned a “few” doodling’s was going to be a near full set of elevations, supporting engineering data, and completed pictorial color drawings that would get you well into every aspect needed to this “idea” you were now sharing. I never recall just a few doodling’s, 15 I think was the least number and more often 20 plus were immediately available within the manila folder this person accompanied himself with.

This architect was invaluable, if you had any good sense about you, you involved this person early on and shared all you could or imagined about the topic at hand. It is so ironic that this architect’s near best effort ever will never see the light of day, it’s buried. Most often at least 4’ closer to 20’ plus. When the Wimberley sewer system is completed, it will be a direct reflection of this architects work. The sewer system has a real engineering firm and effort behind it all that has been paid and accepts credit, but the final design and layout reflect this local architects love of his work and passion for detail, even if it will never be seen. Best estimates supported with surrounding facts, we will have a much better sewer system, logically designed and laid out and recapturing savings of $800,000-1M dollars, this person was a guiding force, meeting over a 4 year time frame in excess of 208 meetings, departing every meeting repeating the mantra “We Can Do Better”

Bert Ray leaves this community so much a better place for his love and life of service he gave to us in so many realms of public service, sidewalks for the Square, sidewalks for Old Kyle road, pedestrian and traffic improvements along RR-12 thru town, the design of the knee wall fronting the Wimberley Sq facing RR-12. Bert not one time sought recognition or reward for his efforts, he never held or allowed political views or contentiousness to veer him from the task of making Wimberley a better place for each one of us to call our home and community. I could not be more proud to call Bert a good and dear friend who’s every effort I know was genuine and from his heart.