CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Images circulating on social media suggested the Portland Causeway was falling apart. The Texas Department of Transportation says that's not true.
According to TxDOT spokesperson Rickey Dailey, bridges and causeways are built in sections. Between those sections are metal plates — the kind visible in the images spreading online. Those plates allow the causeway to essentially breathe.
Dailey said a single, uninterrupted concrete slab would be at risk of cracking. The metal plates prevent that by contracting in the winter and expanding in the summer due to heat.
TxDOT says the movement seen in the images is simply wear and tear, and the causeway is not separating.
"It does not affect the structural integrity of the bridge," Dailey said.
TxDOT inspects causeways and bridges on a 24-month cycle. The Portland Causeway was already scheduled to be inspected next month.
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