Old Harbor Bridge Decommissioning: Operation to lower center span scheduled to take place Saturday through Tuesday

CORPUS CHRISTI –Lowering of the center span of the old Harbor Bridge is scheduled to take place in multiple steps beginning Saturday (Oct. 25) and ending with the voyage of the span to a dock between Portland and Ingleside on Tuesday (Oct. 28).

This operation begins the final phase in the decommissioning of the iconic 1959 structure.

Subsequent demolition of the bridge’s approach structures on the north and south sides of the ship channel later this year will complete the Texas Department of Transportation’s US 181 Harbor Bridge Replacement Project that featured construction of the $1.3 billion new Harbor Bridge.

“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,” said TxDOT Corpus Christi District Deputy Engineer and Harbor Bridge Project Manager Joseph Briones.

“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 added.

TxDOT and Flatiron/Dragados, LLC., developer for the US 181 Harbor Bridge project, designed this multiple-step schedule to lower the center span in one unit. The schedule is the result of months of planning and coordination with the United States Coast Guard and the Port of Corpus Christi.

Monday AM - Lowering of center span

o Prometheus, a 300-foot by 100-foot barge, arrives in the ship channel Saturday in preparation to accept the center span.

o Strand jacks and support equipment engage to stabilize structure (eight - 10 hours),

o Tugboats position barge beneath the center main (four - eight hours),

o Center span is cut at bridge joints (eight - 10 hours),

o Entire center span is lowered onto barge (eight - 10 hours),

o Lowered structure secured to barge (four hours),

o Pins released from lift blocks and winches engage to raise strand jack cables (six-eight hours),

o 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).

In 1959, the Texas Highway Department, now TxDOT, built the largest project in its history: the Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge. The bridge is historically significant for its design as well as for its contribution to transportation. The bridge and its approaches pioneered new materials like pre-stressed concrete and neoprene pads. The bridge was a key transportation asset and allowed large ships to pass through to the Port of Corpus Christi for decades. After more than 60 years the bridge reached it original, intended lifespan and did not meet current design standards.

Consequently, as the city, port and region continued to grow a new, taller Harbor Bridge was built and put into service in June 2025.

For more information, contact:

Rickey.Dailey@TxDOT.gov or (361) 808-2544

Lallison@harborbridgeproject.com or (361) 446-9542