Construction of Lake Ralph Hall in Fannin County reached another major milestone with the final concrete pour for the Merrill Creek bridge, one of two bridges that will span the lake. Now that Merrill Creek bridge decking is complete, only the side barriers and asphalt need to be installed.

“Through our partnership with Flatiron Construction and Lamb-Star Engineering, the road and bridge contractor and inspectors, we recognized this milestone and look forward to opening both new roadway segments along State Highway 34 between Ladonia and Honey Grove,” said Ed Motley, Upper Trinity’s Program Manager for Lake Ralph Hall.

Both the Merrill Creek bridge and the 1.1-mile-long pedestrian-friendly State Highway 34 bridge are scheduled to open to traffic this spring. The new section of FM 1550 is also on schedule to finish in spring.

“It’s been satisfying to see work on both the Merrill Creek and SH 34 bridges go from basically grassland to nearing completion,” said Project Manager Josh Pfingst with Flatiron Constructors, Inc. “The final pour of concrete marked a milestone that was achieved safely and on schedule.”

“Team effort” could be used to describe every aspect of construction on Lake Ralph Hall. “It couldn’t be done without so much simultaneous collaboration and initiative from our project contractors,” said Randy Sliger, Upper Trinity's Lake Ralph Hall Construction Manager.
 
Around 240 workers are currently hard at work on the massive project with:

• 80 (approximately) crew members onsite daily, finishing the bridge barriers, building the walking path and connecting the new bridges with existing roadways.
• 130+ workers (and growing) excavating/building the Leon Hurse Dam and its various pieces.
• 16-20 workers daily creating road entrances and excavating for the pump station.
• 9 operators with RES onsite for the past several weeks, clearing over 280 acres of the future lake bottom.

As they work simultaneously in different areas, key components for Lake Ralph Hall continue to take shape.
 
“We are really proud of how much our team has accomplished in such a short timeframe,” said Dennis D. Alsup, Construction Manager with Lamb-Star Engineering, who oversees the construction of the Roadway Relocations which are nearly finished only two years after construction began.
 
Pete Schexnayder, Project Manager for Granite echoed Alsup as he commented on work at the dam. “We’re making great headway. The signatory structure of the Leon Hurse Dam is emerging from its foundation. Our construction crews have completed over 200,000 man-hours, and we are excited to watch it come together.”

Work has begun on clearing trees and brush from what will become Lake Ralph Hall.  In January, RES Environmental Operating Company, LLC began clearing the areas east of SH 34.  They are working to remove trees, brush and fencing that would pose a boating hazard while strategically leaving areas for future fish habitat. RES will also save logs from the clearing to be used to construct fish habitat structures in the lake.

Lake Ralph Hall’s proposed Zoning Regulations and Official Zoning Map received unanimous support from the lake’s zoning commission during January 26th’s public hearing. Then, on February 7, the county commissioner’s court reviewed and approved the regulations and zoning map with one minor change. The multi-step approval process offered many opportunities for public input so nearby residents could help shape the regulations and incorporate options for new development. Now, the adopted regulations can be put into effect.

Read more about the commissioner’s approval on the North Texas eNews
Learn more about the process and read the regulations