A standing-room-only crowd jammed Wylie City Hall Wednesday, Oct. 7, to protest a bridge that would span Lake Lavon, connecting the eastern shores of the lake with the western side. 

 

The public meeting, chaired by County Judge Keith Self, was an opportunity for residents of the largely unincorporated part of Collin County that would be affected by the bridge to see several alignments, or places where the bridge might be built. HNTB, an engineering, architectural, construction and management company, had been retained to do a route study about the project. 

 

Although several routes were drawn on large maps for residents to view, in all cases the bridge would begin west of Lake Lavon in an area southeast of Lucas, east of Parker and north of St. Paul, span the lake to the southernmost point of a peninsula, and continue across the water to the eastern shores, between the Land O’ Lakes subdivision and the Garland Power and Light substation. 

 

Self and County Commissioner Jerry Hoagland stressed that this project is by no means a sure thing; material provided at the meeting outlined a timeline of 2010 as a projected date when the alignment would be approved, three to six more years before design schematics and environmental impact statements would be complete, two to four years for right-of-way acquisition, one to two years for design plans to be finalized, and two to 2.5 more for construction

 

Engineer Rusty Ozmer with HNTB gave an overview of the need for the project, including graphs showing projected growth for Collin County. He also showed a list of the “constraints” being considered when choosing the route, including schools, cemeteries, flood plains and parks.

 

Hoagland said that in 1980, there were 144,000 people in Collin County and there are now 800,000. “By 2042, 1.2 million are coming, maybe even more,” he said. “Collin County will be as large as Dallas County, and we have to have roads to get people from point A to point B.

 

“Are we building the bridge now? Absolutely not,” he said.

 

In response to a shout from the audience about the need to “protect the natural resources we have” before the 1.2 million people move to the county, Hoagland said it’s incumbent on county officials to plan for the future.

 

More than 25 people had signed up to speak. Most were homeowners who expressed their dismay that the land they purchased because it was quiet and home to many mature pecan trees might someday have a bridge right across it or right out their back doors.

 

Many said they felt the bridge would not alleviate the congestion and gave suggestions of a better use of the taxpayers’ money, including continuing to expand existing thoroughfares such as highways 78 and 380. Some speakers noted that it costs 10 times as much to build a bridge than the same amount of highway.

 

Kay Nordby, head of a group called Save Lake Lavon, said she was impatient with the county for drawing various routes the bridge would take and said she is in favor of no bridge at all. If a bridge is necessary, she said, she wondered why the county wouldn’t make the best use of open land instead of “targeting the only homes within miles.” 

 

“The county thinks these residents are expendable citizens,” she said. “We do not.”

 

She said the maps showing heavy congestion in the future, though shown as evidence of the need for the bridge, did not justify the project, and she urged county officials to work to alleviate congestion where it actually exists.

 

Edward Jenkins said he fears the devastation of the lake in terms of recreational boating and other activities as well as contamination from roadway runoff.

 

Duke Monson, president of the Trinity Trail Preservation Association, spoke of the 20 years of effort that had been expended to create a unified trail that would be cut off if a bridge were built and urged county officials to create a way for hikers and riders to go under it.

 

Many speakers said they felt the county was trying to placate them by saying this construction was just in the study stages and may not even happen, that if the study had been completed and different routes had been drawn on a map, it was only a matter of time before construction begins.

 

Bill Coleman said he had moved his family to Nevada from Oak Cliff where gangs and shootings were prevalent. He said he feels the bridge would “promote gang activity” and cause more chaos and problems. 

 

Robert Simmons of St. Paul said he wished that, if the county is intent on building this bridge, it would at least build it to the north rather than putting it “through the heart of Lake Lavon,” the one lake that doesn’t have a bridge. “I think years from now, you’ll be happy that we kept a lake intact,” he said. 

 

There was discussion about the bridge possibly being a toll road, but Self said he did not think that made sense. There was also concern about the county signing a “no compete” clause, which would inhibit its ability to improve nearby roads; Self also said he thought that did not apply because no road was close enough.

 

The only speaker who seemed to think the need might be real was David Pinkus, who owns property in one of the proposed bridge routes, but who said growth is coming and the county would be wise to prepare. Prior to the meeting, he quoted Gary Hoover of Austin who said wishing an area won’t grow is like patting a 12-year-old girl on the head and saying, “You’re real cute; don’t grow up.”

 

More information is available on savelakelavon.com, including maps, downloadable yard signs, and the graphs and other materials included in the presentation given at the Oct. 7 meeting by Ozmer. There is also information on the county’s Web site, co.collin.tx.us.

 

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