Galveston Causeway
| Galveston Causeway | |
|---|---|
| File:Old Causeway, Galveston.jpg
The old 1912 Galveston Causeway, now in use as a railroad bridge.
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| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Carries | Rail (old causeway) I-45 (new causeway) |
| Crosses | Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Galveston Bay |
| Locale | Galveston |
| Official name | Galveston Causeway |
| Maintained by | Texas Department of Transportation |
| History | |
| Opened | 1912 (original causeway) |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | free both ways |
The Galveston Causeway is a set of causeways in Galveston, Texas, United States. Two of the routes carry the southbound and northbound traffic of Interstate 45, while the original causeway is restricted to rail traffic. It is the only free roadway access point to Galveston Island. The causeway carries traffic over Galveston Bay and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The original causeway was built in 1912 and carried both rail and auto traffic. The auto traffic was transferred to new causeways built to the west in 1939, leaving the original bridge for rail traffic. The original route was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Contents
Rebuilding in 2003
Construction of replacement bridges for both auto routes began in 2003 with completion of the new northbound bridge in 2005. The construction of a new southbound bridge began in 2006, however Hurricane Ike delayed completion until November 2008.[1][2]
2008 Hurricane damage
In September 2008, the causeway flooded well before Hurricane Ike, due to the tremendous storm surge created by the very wide storm. This is in contrast to a typical hurricane, which would cause the closure of the causeway due to wind before surge. As of the early afternoon on September 13, 12 hours after official landfall, the causeway was blocked by numerous watercraft.
Railroad drawbridge replacement
In 2012, the old bascule-type drawbridge on the railroad causeway was removed and replaced with a vertical-lift-type drawbridge, allowing the navigation channel through the draw span to be widened. In 2001, the U.S. Coast Guard had declared the old span's narrow passageway to be a hazard to navigation. It was only 105 feet (32 m) wide, whereas the replacement vertical-lift span allowed the channel to be widened to about 300 feet (91 m).[3] The old bridge was sold to Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit to be installed on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad in Petaluma, California to cross the Petaluma River.[4]
References
- ↑ Paschenko, Chris (October 21, 2008). Causeway should be open by November Galveston County Daily News. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
- ↑ Paschenko, Chris (November 6, 2008). Still some delays after new causeway opens, Galveston County Daily News. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
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- Pages with broken file links
- Pages using deprecated coordinates format
- Buildings and structures in Galveston, Texas
- Bridges completed in 1912
- Bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas
- National Register of Historic Places in Galveston County, Texas
- Road bridges in Texas
- Bascule bridges in the United States
- Drawbridges on the National Register of Historic Places
- Vertical lift bridges
- Bridges on the Interstate Highway System
- 1912 establishments in Texas
