After nearly a decade of construction, design reviews and delays, the new Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi is finally ready to open, providing improved safety and expanded port access capabilities.
The $1.2 billion project, which broke ground in 2016, was designed to replace the aging original Harbor Bridge that had higher-than-average accident rates and limited navigational clearance.
The new structure will allow the Port of Corpus Christi to accommodate larger vessels, including bigger crude oil tankers and potentially container ships, enhancing the port's competitiveness along the Gulf Coast.
"The new bridge was designed to improve safety and provide better opportunities to move port traffic," Texas Department of Transportation officials said.
The project's completion comes shortly after the Ship Channel Improvement Project was finished, creating a powerful combination for the region's maritime commerce capabilities.
The journey to completion was marked by significant challenges. Originally scheduled to open in 2020 with a budget of $900 million, the project faced multiple setbacks.
In November 2019, TxDOT suspended all design work after safety concerns emerged related to the engineering firm FIGG Group, which had worked on parts of the Harbor Bridge design.
This decision came after FIGG Group was implicated in the 2018 collapse of a pedestrian bridge at Florida International University that killed 6 people and injured 10 others. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the firm had not properly estimated the bridge's strength.
TxDOT later reviewed the already-constructed portions of the Harbor Bridge and determined they were safe, but the project timeline was pushed back multiple times due to weather, permitting issues, and construction delays.
The final cost ballooned to approximately $1.2 billion, about $300 million over the original estimate.
Despite a postponed ribbon-cutting ceremony originally set for May 10, 2025, the bridge is now ready to serve the Corpus Christi community and enhance the region's transportation infrastructure.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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