CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The center span of Corpus Christi's iconic 1959 Harbor Bridge will be lowered beginning Saturday in a multi-day operation that marks the final phase of decommissioning the historic structure.
The lowering process will take place in multiple steps from Saturday through Tuesday, when the span will be transported by water to a dock between Portland and Ingleside. This operation represents the culmination of months of planning and coordination between the Texas Department of Transportation, the United States Coast Guard, and the Port of Corpus Christi.
"For more than 60 years, the 1959 Harbor Bridge has served as an iconic landmark, connecting the people and places surrounding Corpus Christi. Its role as a key transportation asset has benefited generations of families and contributed significantly to our local economy, becoming an integral part of our community's identity," Joseph Briones said.
Briones serves as TxDOT Corpus Christi District Deputy Engineer and Harbor Bridge Project Manager.
"While its removal marks the end of an era, we honor the history and memories it represents as we look forward to the new US 181 Harbor Bridge serving the next generation of Texans," he said.
TxDOT and Flatiron/Dragados, LLC, the developer for the US 181 Harbor Bridge project, designed the schedule to lower the center span as a single unit. The approach structures on the north and south sides of the ship channel will be demolished later this year, completing the $1.3 billion Harbor Bridge Replacement Project.
The removal of the 1959 bridge clears the way for full operation of the new Harbor Bridge, which has already opened to traffic and serves as a modern replacement for the aging structure that has connected Corpus Christi for more than six decades.
Monday AM - Lowering of the center span
- Prometheus, a 300-foot by 100-foot barge, arrives in the ship channel Saturday in preparation to accept the center span.
- Strand jacks and support equipment engage to stabilize structure (eight - 10 hours),
- Tugboats position barge beneath the center main (four - eight hours),
- Center span is cut at bridge joints (eight - 10 hours),
- Entire center span is lowered onto barge (eight - 10 hours),
- Lowered structure secured to barge (four hours),
- Pins released from lift blocks and winches engage to raise strand jack cables (six-eight hours),
- Barge carrying center span departs to a dock between Ingleside and Portland along the La Quinta channel.
Time sequences may overlap and are subject to change. This operation is weather permitting.
To ensure the safety of the public, the shared use path on the new Harbor Bridge will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday (Oct. 27).
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