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Commissioners authorize engineering for stabilization on Zeel Road after safety concerns
Summary
The court approved preliminary engineering for bank stabilization on Zeel Road in Precinct 4, citing an immediate safety concern and erosion that could remove the road during the next significant rainfall; commissioners urged cost control and consideration of alternatives.
The Guadalupe County Commissioners Court voted on March 11 to hire Friedland Turk Engineering Group for preliminary engineering on a bank stabilization project on Zeel Road in Precinct 4, after members described the site as a growing safety hazard.
County staff said bank undercutting from flow has narrowed the roadway and that, given the county's recent dry spell, ‘‘if we get a next significant rain and the conditions are right, you'll lose that road,’’ a county official told the court. Court members described heavy commercial traffic and 18‑wheelers using Zeel Road as a detour route as a contributing factor to the deterioration.
At the hearing, several commissioners said they supported contracting for engineering so the county can obtain a design and then solicit bids and limit risk to motorists, but urged the engineer and staff to consider a range of solutions and to avoid an overbuilt fix that would consume funds intended for other county projects. One commissioner said the county must balance a long‑term solution with near‑term affordability and the potential need to avoid costly options that expand the roadway beyond what local traffic requires.
Engineering representatives said the undercut is substantial, site soils are silty and sandy, and gabions and structural measures are among the options to be evaluated. The engineering contract was approved and commissioners directed staff to pursue design work so the county can hire a contractor to make the repair before further damage or a safety incident occurs.
No dollar amount for the engineering proposal was discussed during public remarks; the court voted to proceed with the contract for preliminary engineering.
