Concerns about damage to SH 45 bridge near 183 Frontage Road

A FOX 7 Austin viewer sent photos of the structure damage and said this toll road needs desperate attention. FOX 7 Austin's Amanda Ruiz has the details.

AUSTIN, Texas - Damage to a bridge on SH 45 near 183 Frontage Road is raising concern from community members. A viewer emailed FOX 7 Austin a photo of the structural damage and said the toll road needs desperate attention.

A FOX 7 Austin crew arrived at the bridge and found the underside of the bridge cracked up the side and with the concrete incline sunken down by at least three feet exposing the foundation and dirt underneath it.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) explains that the header back's concrete is sinking into the dirt that supports the end of the bridge. It says this could be caused by a few things including water or collision damage.

TxDOT says it could not confirm if anyone has reported the damage before but it said it did find the photos "concerning."

"I have seen this occasionally over the past 25 years in a few other places. This type of thing usually occurs and it's not usually catastrophic, but it is something that has to be addressed so we are going to have somebody go out there and look at it to see what's going on," said Christopher Bishop, TxDOT Austin District Public Information Officer.

A TxDOT crew will look at the damage. If it is deemed a crisis, they will immediately close the area down until it is fixed for safety reasons.

If you see any damage similar to this, officials say it is not normal. TxDOT wants you to report it to them and you can do so on TxDOT's website.