This cache placement is part of the Garland History GeoTour. Should you wish to download the GeoTour passport to earn our beautiful GeoCoin, you can find the GeoTour page here. The log will contain a secret word which you must enter on your passport in the appropriate slot.
The Pleasant Valley Bridge project was celebrated June 27, 2019 as something much greater than a widened road taken out of a floodplain. The bridge’s 92-foot towers and 8-foot City logo make Pleasant Valley Road a signature entry point. The project is the basis of a trail connection to natural features in Garland and several nearby cities. And it is relief in the Firewheel Town Center area, where growth had overwhelmed the two lanes of country-style asphalt that was the former Pleasant Valley Road. A low crossing at Rowlett Creek and truck traffic headed to the Charles M. Hinton Jr. Regional Landfill compounded the issues.
The four-lane concrete upgrade, including a 1,555-foot bridge, is the result of the City’s $24.8 million partnership with the North Central Texas Council of Governments and Dallas County.
“The partnership to bring all this together has many components,” Mayor Scott LeMay said at the bridge opening ceremony. “But it also has been many, many years in the making. So, for us to be standing here today, it feels really good.”
The bridge connects Garland to Miles Road and a Bush Turnpike exit. Miles Road is Sachse’s major north-south artery and home to 4,600 students at three Garland Independent School District campuses.
The project includes quality-of-life benefits for the non-motorist as well. There are hike and bike pathways on both sides of the bridge. There’s a new trailhead parking lot. There are 1.2 miles of hike and bike trails under construction off the bridge. The trails will eventually connect to Garland’s natural areas along Rowlett Creek and at Lake Ray Hubbard. They’re part of a regional plan to connect with Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Plano and Richardson. And the entire project was built with limited impacts on the environmentally sensitive areas along Rowlett Creek.
This is a night cache that can be done during the day. Follow the reflective stars until you find the last one. Look around for a different sort of reflector...you seek a hanging bison tube.