After years of construction, delays and setbacks, the largest cable-stayed concrete-segmental bridge in the U.S. and the tallest point in South Texas is set to open on Saturday, June 28, marking a new era for the Port of Corpus Christi.
The new bridge located in Corpus Christi features six-lane sections off US 181, with three lanes in each direction, a median barrier, shoulders, and a shared-use path for bicycles and pedestrians. According to the Harbor Bridge Project, it will be the largest cable-stayed concrete-segmental bridge in the U.S. when completed. The new design incorporates several aesthetic features, including the shared-use path, a community plaza, nighttime LED lighting and xeriscape landscaping. In all, the design and construction is just over six miles of bridge and connecting roadway.
The project began in 2016 and is replacing the iconic skyline bridge, which has been a landmark of the city’s downtown area since the late 1950s. While the current bridge’s 138 feet of navigational clearance met World War II standards when it was built, it hinders the Port of Corpus Christi’s competitiveness with other Gulf Coast deepwater ports due to larger ship sizes today.
The project has encountered a series of setbacks since first breaking ground in 2016, according to reports, including years of civil rights lawsuits and relocation programs that moved several minority residents out of the Hillcrest neighborhood where the bridge was being built…