Houston is set to start work on June 1, 2026 on the Sergio Ivan Rodriguez Memorial Pedestrian Bridge, a roughly $5.66 million, 2,673 square foot overpass that will rise above the Union Pacific tracks students cross on foot to reach Charles H. Milby High School. City leaders are selling it as a permanent, safer route for kids who have spent years weaving around trains and crossing arms on the way to class.
The schedule and layout appear in public filings and local coverage. Construction is slated to begin June 1 and run through December 2027, with the bridge planned to cross the tracks near Galveston Road and Harding Street, the Houston Chronicle reports.
State dollars pushed the project forward
Officials say the bridge is part of a broader round of appropriations the Texas Legislature delivered to Houston last year, with $10 million specifically earmarked for the memorial span, according to the City of Houston's legislative summary. City leaders have framed that cash as one piece of a larger push on safety, mobility and other infrastructure upgrades.
A statewide push for grade separations
The bridge also lines up with Senate Bill 1555, which created a $350 million TxDOT grant program to help fund railroad grade separations across Texas. State and local officials have pointed to the Milby incident as a key motivator for the law. "No Texan should die at these dangerous crossings, especially near our schools," Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said after the bill passed, according to a statement from his office.
Design, timeline and who will build it
TxDOT will handle design and construction while the City of Houston will take over maintenance once the bridge opens, agency and city officials have said in public statements. Project partners say the design is moving through the approval pipeline now and that construction is expected to kick off this summer on the June 1 schedule, with work stretching into late 2027.
Union Pacific and safety steps on the ground
Union Pacific has said it will coordinate with city and state partners on safety improvements around Milby and previously paused train movements during school drop off and pickup before resuming regular operations. Company representatives told reporters covering the legislative response that the railroad has added new fencing, sidewalk work and bilingual safety outreach in the area.
Neighbors say the fixes are overdue
Students, parents and neighbors have welcomed the bridge plan but say the long timetable is a reminder of how slowly safety upgrades can arrive. Residents told local outlets that the chain link fencing and new sidewalks installed after the December 2024 death are temporary fixes while the bridge is built, and some criticized the return to routine train movements before construction even begins.
For now, city and state officials describe the memorial bridge, named for 15 year old Sergio Ivan Rodriguez, who was struck while crossing tracks near the 2000 block of Broadway, as both a safety project and a permanent marker of a life lost. Advocates add that the broader $350 million grant program created by Senate Bill 1555 is intended to speed up similar grade separation efforts in other Texas communities.
