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Crews rope off weakened area on Beach Drive
Published November 12, 2009
SURFSIDE BEACH — Crews cordoned off a small section of Beach Drive that village officials say was weakened when the ground supporting it eroded away during recent high tides.
Beachgoers are advised to avoid driving or parking on the 1000 to 1100 blocks of the roadway, which are cordoned off with barricades, Public Works Director Pete Gutierrez said.
“There were holes in the blacktop and when the water would surge up, the water would drain out,” Gutierrez said. “I know that area is undermined by the surge.”
Crews started checking the structural integrity of the beachfront road Tuesday after finding areas officials believed had been compromised by erosion from pounding waves, which also caused a beachhouse to tumble to the ground earlier that day.
As far as the village is concerned, the damage to the roadway happened during Hurricane Ike and became exposed from powerful waves pounding the pedestrian beach in recent weeks, Mayor Larry Davison said. The high tides began in October from a series of cold fronts and storms churning in the Gulf of Mexico.
Village leaders plan to discuss repairs to the roadway with the Texas General Land Office, whose officials are coming to the village in December to discuss erosion with residents, Davison said.
“When they do the revetment, they’ll have to fix the road,” he said.
Land office officials “will talk about it” when they come down, GLO spokesman Jim Suydam said.
Gutierrez said the undermined area might be strong enough to hold the weight of a passing vehicle, but it’s better the village not take a chance.
“I know it is undermined by the surge,” Gutierrez said. “The holes are big enough that a car could probably park there without knowing it, but only the blacktop is holding it. I wasn’t going to take that chance.”
Nathaniel Lukefahr covers Surfside Beach for The Facts. Contact him at 979-237-0151.
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