Resident tells Montgomery council city engineers missed repeated erosion warnings on Town Creek

Philip Lefebvre used the public‑comment period at the Jan. 13 Montgomery City Council meeting to outline what he described as repeated, unheeded warnings to the city about erosion on Town Creek and design problems tied to a bridge repair.

Lefebvre said he sent multiple emails to city officials while Town Creek and the Town Creek Bridge were being repaired after Hurricane Harvey. He told the council he warned the city about erosion that “could eventually reach 10 97” and that those warnings were echoed in a 2020 city engineering study and by other local engineers including Randy Burley.

Lefebvre told council that drop structures installed under the bridge appeared to have failed, estimating each structure cost “over 200,000” and suggesting the city may have wasted roughly “$900,000” on structures that did not work as intended. He said the city later filed a lawsuit related to the matter and that, in his view, the suit sought to hide negligence rather than address it.

He urged the council to restore “checks and balances” that previously prevented city engineers from bidding their own work and to ensure independent review of future engineering contracts.

Council did not announce a formal response or action at the meeting beyond receiving the comment. Lefebvre provided documents and emails to staff as backup during the meeting and offered to leave copies with city staff.

What’s next: Lefebvre’s remarks flagged potential oversight and procurement policy questions; council or staff could follow up with a request for the documents he referenced or a staff report to review the procurement, design, and any outstanding litigation or warranty claims.