The GMNP is a 1,800-acre natural area dedicated on the 33rd anniversary of the opening of The Woodlands on October 19, 2007, along with the dedication of the Village of Creekside Park. The creation of the GMNP was a joint effort of The Woodlands Land Development Company, Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner Ed Chance's Office, The Woodlands Association, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Recreational Trails Grant Program. GMNP is part of the greater Spring Creek Greenway. The Spring Creek Greenway project is a 12,000-acre nature area/linear park stretching 40 miles on both sides of Spring Creek from the San Jacinto River to Spring Creek Park in Tomball. It is the largest contiguous, forested urban greenway project in the country. Its purpose is to set aside land to permanently protect the floodways and floodplains; to connect and protect habitat along both sides of Spring Creek, creating a corridor for improving water quality and preserving important wildlife habitat; and to provide outdoor recreational opportunities for the public.
A key element of the GMNP, the Spring Creek Greenway, and the Spring Creek Nature Trail, is a bridge spanning Spring Creek that opened in 2013. Since that time, the Spring Creek Bridge has been subjected to countless flooding events, including, but not limited to the 2016 Tax Day and Memorial Day floods, Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and the July 2024 post-Hurricane Beryl rain event (16+ inches of rain within a week). As a result, considerable erosion needs to be addressed before the bridge is further compromised. (Attachment B) In order to address this issue, staff reached out to the original engineers of this project, as well as Municipal Utility District (MUD) 386. Staff was advised that this project is considered a maintenance project and does not need to be permitted by Harris County Flood Control or any other entity. The goal of this project is to armor the upstream and downstream ends of the bridge crossing and use stabilized fill to fill the voids between the rip rap (large rock). Marquee's proposal includes the installation of 120 tons of rip rap that would be brought in using small utility terrain vehicles through several low water crossings over the course of 0.75 miles to reach the bridge. Marquee has prior experience working on drainage areas, ponds, creeks, and streams and anticipates that the project will take three months to complete.
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