Preserving a Historic Brick Highway
| Author | Environmental Law Institute |
| Pages | 16-17 |
16 NEPA Success Stories
is case demonstrated how a NEPA process may
begin with uncomfortable distance between a federal
agency and a local community and end with agree-
ment and lasting, mutually-supportive relationships
between the same agency and community. A U.S.
highway made out of bricks led one agency and
community down this path.
U.S. 180 in Breckenridge, Texas is one of the few re-
maining brick roadways located on the U.S. highway
system across the United States. e section of U.S.
180 between McAmis Avenue and Gonzales Creek
bridge was paved in 1923 with bricks produced lo-
cally in urber, Texas.
Beginning in the early 1960s, local ocials began
to hold meetings to discuss concerns with the brick
highway. e rst several meetings between Texas
Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and con-
cerned citizens were not congenial, with TxDOT
ocials attending these meetings being booed.
TxDOT engineers were concerned that the bricks
were too slick to allow for safe stopping distances,
that numerous utility cuts had caused the surface to
be very rough and the sub-grade under the bricks
was unstable. TxDOT recommended overlaying the
roadway with modern asphalt pavement for proper
ride quality and safety. Local residents did not sup-
port this idea, feeling the historic bricks needed to
remain.
TxDOT undertook a NEPA scoping period to
analyze alternatives and recognized that the com-
munity’s participation was paramount, both because
of the historic nature of the bricks and the potential
disruption to the community’s daily lives and busi-
nesses during any construction. TxDOT involved
the city administration, business owners, and other
concerned citizens in the scoping period, which
resulted in productive discussions of construction
alternatives. After TxDOT determined that the skid
factor was not as bad as originally thought, they were
able to select an alternative that would rehabilitate
this section of roadway instead of replacing the brick
highway.
e nal proposal was for rehabilitation of this sec-
tion of deteriorated brick roadway. is achieved
roadway rehabilitation and preserved the integrity of
the brick street so that it met eligibility criteria for
the National Register of Historic Places through a
process that fostered a partnership between TxDOT
and the City of Breckenridge. e result was a plan
that improved safety and preserved the history and
nostalgia of the old brick street.
After selection of the rehabilitation alternative, of-
cials from TxDOT and other agencies continued
to involve the public in this project. For example,
TxDOT met with business owners to discuss how
the construction project might aect each business.
City ocials kept the public informed about the
latest project information through public meetings,
newspaper articles, and radio addresses. Discussions
and coordination with the Texas Historical Com-
mission ensured that the project would be sensitive
to the preservation of historic buildings adjacent to
the roadway and that the bricks and their removal
and replacement would be acceptable to the historic
context of downtown Breckenridge.
e concerns that were voiced by the community
regarding this project chiey related to historic pres-
ervation, but time, safety, and money were also con-
cerns. It was unknown whether enough of the bricks
could structurally withstand the removal, cleaning,
and storage process in a condition that permitted
them to be reused, which was necessary for a suc-
cessful project. e overall economic impact of the
project on the local community was of great concern
because the time and disruption of the construction
could be devastating to some businesses located in
the main district section of the town, which was on
the highway. Interruption of transportation services
and the safety of workers in the construction zone
during the construction were also of concern.
PRESERVING A HISTORIC B RICK HIG HWAY
PUBLIC INPUT HELPS PRESERVE THE HISTORICAL INTEGRITY OF A COMMUNITY
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