Bridge closure nearly shuts down North Abilene family store

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – A North Abilene staple was nearly forced to close its doors, but there’s now light at the end of the tunnel for Galvan’s Grocery, a family-run store located at the corner of North 12th and Catclaw Creek. For weeks, a bridge closure brought traffic to a standstill, and customers disappeared.

The bridge over Catclaw Creek on North 12th Street has been closed for repairs after a hole developed in the road. For Mrs. Galvan, who has owned the grocery store for 48 years, the impact has been devastating.

“I can say that we’ve been 25 to 35 dollars a day in an 11-hour day. It hurt,” Galvan shared.

North 12th is typically a busy road, especially during midday, but since the closure, it’s been quiet.

“No action, no traffic, no nothing,” added her grandson, Lee Galvan.

The store has always been a family operation. When the slowdown hit, the family took to social media to get the word out.

“We had to make our own post to get people to come and show them where we are at,” Lee explained.

The post gained enough attention to bring City Councilman Shane Price to the store, where he apologized and promised that work would begin that day.

Mrs. Galvan says she’s using the downtime to make repairs inside the store, and crews have told her the bridge could reopen in about three weeks. While construction may wrap up sooner, traffic won’t be allowed back on the bridge until the repair fully cures.