|
|
| Built: |
1992 |
| Also
known as: |
Texas
146 Bridge |
| Designed
by: |
District
12 of the Texas Department of Highways and Public Transportation |
| Cost: |
US$117,500,000.00 |
| Maximum
Height: |
440
feet |
| Maximum
Length: |
1,250
feet |
| Type: |
Bridge |
| Location: |
Texas
146 between Baytown and La Porte |
An
elegant misfit in the brutal world of Houston transportation,
the Fred Hartman bridge gracefully carries traffic
up and over the Houston Ship Channel between the cities
of La Porte and Baytown. A recent addition to the
area, it stands proudly on par with the great cable-stay
bridges of the world including the more relaxed, but
still pioneering, Erasmusbrug in Rotterdam.
Two
sets of steel-reinforced diamonds carry two separate
bridge decks of Texas 146 to a height of 178 feet
that keeps them away from the traffic of the busy
seaport. The towers are each 440 feet tall, and the
bridge itself is 1,250 feet long. Photographing the
bridge can be difficult because of the lack of access
roads and the marshy terrain in the area. The only
way to really appreciate this bridge and its yellow
diamonds is to have someone else drive you over it.
-
21
March, 2003 - The bridge is shut down for hours
when a tug boat pilot spots someone leaving a cardboard
box at the base of one of the supports. Fearing
a terrorist plot, the Coast Guard is called out
and removes the box which turns out to contain a
dead cat.
|
|
|
|
