TX: Palo Duro Canyon state park improvements include new bridges

[txstateends]

http://www.newschannel10.com/story/31931005/palo-duro-canyon-renovations-close-to-completion

At Palo Duro Canyon state park south of Amarillo, many improvements are taking place.  Some are new additions, while others are replacements for installations damaged in previous flash flooding. 

One major change, has to do with roads and bridges.  TX State Park Road 5, the road that gives driving visitors access into the canyon (and takes on where TX 217 leaves off at the park entrance), has had 6 different low water crossings of the Prairie Dog Town fork of the Red River along its way through the park.  Natural, yes, but a little too natural when flash floods are a problem.  Those low water crossings are being replaced with bridges so getting around the park will be easier.  Three of the bridges were finished previously, while the other 3 are nearing completion now, in time for tourist season.


First time seeing an ALTERNATE banner for a TX Park Road sign




Big warning signs that will accompany every bridge approach




The webmaster of the dfwfreeways and houstonfreeways websites took a trip to Palo Duro Canyon 10 years ago and returned with quite a photo tour; about halfway down the page is one of the low water crossings before the bridge additions began.

http://www.houstonfreeways.com/modern/2006-05-28_palo_duro.aspx

[wxfree]

http://www.newschannel10.com/story/31931005/palo-duro-canyon-renovations-close-to-completion

At Palo Duro Canyon state park south of Amarillo, many improvements are taking place.  Some are new additions, while others are replacements for installations damaged in previous flash flooding. 

One major change, has to do with roads and bridges.  TX State Park Road 5, the road that gives driving visitors access into the canyon (and takes on where TX 217 leaves off at the park entrance), has had 6 different low water crossings of the Prairie Dog Town fork of the Red River along its way through the park.  Natural, yes, but a little too natural when flash floods are a problem.  Those low water crossings are being replaced with bridges so getting around the park will be easier.  Three of the bridges were finished previously, while the other 3 are nearing completion now, in time for tourist season.


First time seeing an ALTERNATE banner for a TX Park Road sign




Big warning signs that will accompany every bridge approach




The webmaster of the dfwfreeways and houstonfreeways websites took a trip to Palo Duro Canyon 10 years ago and returned with quite a photo tour; about halfway down the page is one of the low water crossings before the bridge additions began.

http://www.houstonfreeways.com/modern/2006-05-28_palo_duro.aspx

It's interesting to see that Alternate banner.  I've seen signed and unsigned A suffixes on park roads (unsigned ones can be identified on the Statewide Planning Map), but I've never seen banners.  I think mostly they just accept that roads in parks, even designated Park Roads, are not always continuous and don't worry about it.

By the way, I fixed your image links in the quote.  For some reason, the originals are really weird.

[txstateends]

Hey thanx wx.  I did all that from my phone, when I should be using my desktop (which has been in storage for over a year while I was homeless and jobless... fortunately in recent months I have a job again, and in recent weeks I was able to leave the shelter where I was staying and now have an apartment.  Now I've just got to work out moving my stuff from my storage).  I've tried to improvise by using my phone or a computer at the library, with mixed results.  Some sites have pix I posted that ended up sideways, while others like here end up with weird postings I didn't realize were weird until I see them again later (or I hear later from folks like wx).  I appreciate your help, thanx again.

[aboges26]

http://www.newschannel10.com/story/31931005/palo-duro-canyon-renovations-close-to-completion

At Palo Duro Canyon state park south of Amarillo, many improvements are taking place.  Some are new additions, while others are replacements for installations damaged in previous flash flooding. 

One major change, has to do with roads and bridges.  TX State Park Road 5, the road that gives driving visitors access into the canyon (and takes on where TX 217 leaves off at the park entrance), has had 6 different low water crossings of the Prairie Dog Town fork of the Red River along its way through the park.  Natural, yes, but a little too natural when flash floods are a problem.  Those low water crossings are being replaced with bridges so getting around the park will be easier.  Three of the bridges were finished previously, while the other 3 are nearing completion now, in time for tourist season.

A big problem with the old water crossings were that they were actually VERY unnatural.  They were concrete and had a series of culverts or channels to carry trickles of water and they backed up sediment like no other.  The bridges are actually offering a more natural path for the "river" now by allowing natural, unobstructed water flow.  Sure the channel had to be recreated, but the natural processes with return the water course back to a natural state and ultimately a series of big flash floods will end up eating away at embankments and threaten the bridge foundations due to water course switchings in time.