RV residents fleeing bridge project dust

March 07, 2013, 8:30 pm by Adam Troxtell

Staff photo by Adam Troxtell A worker hoses down a pile of concrete dust and debris that used to be part of the old US 281 bridge. Watering down debris is done to control the amount of dust that blows around and into surrounding areas, such as the River View RV Park nearby.

Residents of an RV Park in the shadow of the US 281 bridge demolition are trying to escape choking clouds of concrete dust billowing from the project that is making life difficult for them, especially those who are elderly or suffer with respiratory problems.

"We’ve got people moving out left and right,” said Jackie Buchanan, assistant manager of the River View RV Park, who added that even she is struggling to stay in the office.

"I may just stay home and take calls from there; but what do I do about my guests?”

Buchanan said she knows at least seven people who either leave during the day or are packing up for good because — as one woman said — the dust from Omega Demolition Corporation’s work is so bad she "can no longer breathe.”

For more on this story, see Wednesday's Burnet Bulletin or Llano County Journal, or Friday's Highlander.