Cade Loop Bridge reopened to traffic on Nov. 7, 2026, according to a county update, more than 16 months after the deadly July 4, 2025 flood tore through Kerr County and left the span unusable. The bridge, which sits along Texas 39 near Ingram Dam, provides access to an important roadway south of the Guadalupe River, and its closure cut off residents for more than a year while federal shutdowns, wildlife surveys, and repeat flooding slowed the rebuild.
Local officials had temporarily reopened the bridge on Nov. 3, 2026, before closing it again from Nov. 5 through Nov. 6 for paving operations, according to a county update. The bridge had remained shut down since the original 2025 flood damaged it, a disaster that also forced officials to close the nearby Ingram Dam for instability reasons. As MySA reported, the rebuilding effort faced a consecutive flood, government delays, and endangered mussel issues that together delayed the reopening for nearly a year.
A Federal Shutdown Stalls the Rebuild
Part of the holdup traced back to Washington. A FEMA shutdown beginning in February 2026 lasted 76 days and delayed the agency's work with Kerr County and the Texas Division of Emergency Management, according to the county's own timeline. The Hill Country Community Journal reported that the shutdown slowed the project considerably, even as Kerr County used the window to award the repair bid to contractor MPB and enter into an agreement with repair contractors. FEMA resumed its work with the county and the state emergency division in May 2026.
Federal aid eligibility also hinged on an unusual environmental step: a survey of endangered mussels in the Guadalupe River had to be completed before work could begin. County commissioners authorized that survey in March 2026. FEMA approved the project to proceed July 21 after environmental and wildlife approvals had been received, clearing the way for Kerr County to issue a formal notice to proceed on Aug. 10 — with the contractor's team arriving at the bridge the very next day.
Another Flood Hits the Same Spot
Just as repairs were gaining traction, nature intervened again. A July 2026 flood sent debris pouring over the reconstructed Cade Loop Bridge and caused additional damage to the roadway, forcing crews to clear the debris and reinspect the structure for further harm. A July 24 inspection ultimately found that the new damage would not further delay repairs, a relief for a community that had already endured one deadly flood event at the same crossing.
That July 2025 flood remains the root of the entire saga. The Cade Loop Bridge was damaged by the flood that hit on July 4, 2025, the same storm that forced officials to close the nearby Ingram Dam over instability concerns. During 2026 flooding, about 100 residents along Cade Loop were reported stranded for two days after the bridge collapsed, according to CBS News's coverage of the Hill Country's long flood recovery.
A Timeline That Kept Slipping
Kerr County's road and bridge crews had earlier projected the bridge would reopen to regular traffic around Oct. 23, 2026, though officials cautioned the date was subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. Contractor issues and unexpected delays ultimately pushed the reopening timeline back further through September and October 2026 before the bridge finally reopened the following month. When reconstruction work began in earnest, county officials had estimated the job would take three to four weeks at least to complete — a modest window that stretched considerably given the setbacks that followed.
