Harbor Bridge Project

{{infobox bridge

| coordinates = {{Coord|27|48|48.55|N|97|23|56.22|W|display=inline,title}}

| carries = six lanes of {{jct|US|181|state=TX}}; bicycle/pedestrian shared path

| website = https://harborbridgeproject.com/

| material = post-tensioned concrete

| length = {{cvt|3285|ft|m|0}} (main span unit)
~{{cvt|10,820|ft|m|0}} (total length with approaches){{cite web |url=https://harborbridgeproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HBR_RDWY_Schematic_DRC-6_Page_1.jpg |title=Roadway Schematic, US-181/IH-37 Harbor Bridge, Page 1 |website=harborbridgeproject.com |access-date=March 11, 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://harborbridgeproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HBR_RDWY_Schematic_DRC-6_Page_2.jpg |title=Roadway Schematic, US-181/IH-37 Harbor Bridge, Page 2 |website=harborbridgeproject.com |access-date=March 11, 2025}}

| height = {{cvt|538|ft|m|0}}

| mainspan = {{cvt|1661|ft|m|0}}

| clearance_below = {{cvt|205|ft|m|0}}

| engineering = Figg Bridge Engineers
Arup-{{ill|CFC (engineering firm)|lt=CFC|es|Carlos Fernandez Casado}}

| builder = Flatiron/Dragados

| begin = August 2016

| complete = 2020 (original date)
mid-2025 (new estimate)

| cost = $930 million (estimate)

| replaces = Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge

}}

The Harbor Bridge Project (or New Harbor Bridge or US 181 Harbor Bridge) is the replacement of the existing through arch bridge that crosses the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, which serves the Port of Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, Texas, with a modern cable-stayed bridge design. The route will connect with SH 286 (the Crosstown Expressway) at its southern terminus and US 181 on the north. Groundbreaking on construction took place on August 8, 2016 and was scheduled to be completed by the spring of 2020,{{cite web |title=FHWA - Center for Innovative Finance Support - Project Profiles |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/project_profiles/tx_us_181_harbor_bridge.aspx |access-date=September 26, 2022 |website=Federal Highway Administration}} but was extensively delayed by engineering and design issues, and is currently planned to be open to traffic by June 2025.{{cite news |url=https://www.kristv.com/news/local-news/in-your-neighborhood/corpus-christi/downtown/progress-report-updated-completion-date-released-for-new-harbor-bridge-project |title=Progress Report: Updated completion date released for new Harbor Bridge project |first=Sophia |last=Englehart |date=November 7, 2024 |work=KRIS 6 News |access-date=March 25, 2025}}{{cite news |url=https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/corpus-christi-harbor-bridge-completion-20063385.php |title=Texas soon home to the largest cable-stay, concrete-segmental bridge in US |first=Robin |last=Bradshaw |date=January 29, 2025 |work=Laredo Morning Times |access-date=March 25, 2025}}

History

File:Lighted Harbor Bridge - 1988 (6567572207).jpg

Planning for the bridge began in 2003 to address the maintenance and safety issues of the existing Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge as well as provide long term access to the Port of Corpus Christi to larger ship vessels (including Panamax).{{Cite web |title=US 181 Harbor Bridge Replacement Project - Executive Summary |url=https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/spd/cda/us181-harbor/rfp/developer-summaries/harbor-bridge-partners-summary.pdf |website=TxDOT}}{{Cite web |last=Briones |first=Joseph |date=October 11, 2017 |title=Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge Short Course 2017 |url=https://static.tti.tamu.edu/conferences/tsc17/presentations/project-mgmt/briones.pdf |website=tamu.edu |publisher=Texas Department of Transportation}}{{Cite web |date=June 2003 |title=U.S. 181 (Harbor Bridge) Feasibility Study |url=https://ccharborbridgeproject.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/harbor-bridge-feasibility-study.pdf |website=Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge Project |publisher=Texas Department of Transportation |location=Corpus Christi}} Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) awarded developer Flatiron/Dragados with the design–build contract for the project. The old bridge will be demolished upon project completion.

Design

The new design is a cable-stayed bridge made up of twin precast concrete delta frame segmental box girders that spans {{Convert|1661|ft|m}} across the entire ship channel bank-to-bank, providing {{Convert|205|ft|m}} of clearance above the water. The twin parallel cable-stays are arranged in a fan along middle of the mixed-use deck {{Convert|134|ft|m}} wide that carry six lanes of US 181 and a bicycle and pedestrian path with a mid-span belvedere facing the Corpus Christi Bay. The approaches are of the same box girder type supported by columns {{Convert|180|ft|m}} apart.{{Cite web |date=April 30, 2015 |title=Technical Proposal to Develop, Design, Construct, & Maintain US 181 Harbor Bridge Replacement Project - Executive Summary |url=https://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/spd/cda/us181-harbor/rfp/developer-summaries/flatiron-dragados-summary.pdf |website=ftp.dot.state.tx.us |publisher=Flatiron/Dragados}}

Construction

File:New Harbor Bridge under construction.jpg

To assemble the superstructure, box girders cast near the bridge site are lifted and brought into place using a self-propelled gantry crane, and then the tendons are post-tensioned before the crane moves to the next segment and repeats.{{Cite news |last=Hillhouse |first=Grady |date=September 20, 2022 |title=What Really Happened at the New Harbor Bridge Project? |url=https://practical.engineering/blog/2022/9/15/what-really-happened-at-the-new-harbor-bridge-project |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928230707/https://practical.engineering/blog/2022/9/15/what-really-happened-at-the-new-harbor-bridge-project |archive-date=2022-09-28 |website=Practical Engineering}}

The structure is slated to be the longest cable-stayed, concrete segmental bridge in North America. If completed before the Gordie Howe International Bridge, also under construction, it will also briefly have the longest cable-stayed span in the North America.{{Cite web |last=McLoud |first=Don |date=November 4, 2022 |title=Harbor Bridge work resumes after TxDOT, developer reach agreement |url=https://www.equipmentworld.com/better-roads/article/15302767/harbor-bridge-work-resumes-after-txdot-developer-reach-agreement |access-date=2022-11-16 |website=Equipment World |language=en-us}} Corpus Christi's nearby John F. Kennedy Memorial Causeway, which has a similar construction method, is the first precast concrete post-tensioned segmental box girder bridge in the United States.{{cite report | last1 = Kashima | first1 = S. | last2 = Breen | first2 = John E. | date = February 1975 | title = Construction and Load Tests of a Segmental Precast Box Girder Bridge Model | url = https://library.ctr.utexas.edu/Presto/content/Detail.aspx?ctID=UHVibGljYXRpb25fMTE2MTA=&rID=MTIzMzY= | publisher = University of Texas at Austin Center for Highway Research | page = v | id = CFHR 3-5-69-121-5 | access-date = September 15, 2021 | quote = "The cantilever construction of the first segmental precast prestressed concrete box girder bridge in the United States has been recently completed on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Causeway, Corpus Christi, Texas. The segments were precast, transported to the site, and erected by the balanced cantilever method of post-tensioned construction, using epoxy resin as a jointing material."}}

= Construction suspension =

In March 2018, a pedestrian bridge collapse in Florida prompted extensive reevaluation of bridge construction across the United States. An NTSB investigation ultimately concluded that the chief probable cause for the Florida bridge collapse was an error in design by the FIGG Bridge Group.{{Cite news |last=Mazzei |first=Patricia |date=October 22, 2019 |title=Flawed Design, Lax Oversight Led to 'Astounding' Miami Bridge Collapse |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/us/bridge-collapse-florida-international-university-NTSB.html |access-date= |issn=0362-4331}} FIGG was also the engineer for the Harbor Bridge Project. This prompted a design review by TxDOT who in 2019 ultimately asked the bridge developer Flatiron/Dragados to remove FIGG and select a different engineering firm.{{refn|group=Note|FIGG had previously been removed from another Texas project, the replacement of the Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge.{{Cite web |last=Begley |first=Dug |date=November 30, 2021 |title=Harris County to spend nearly $300M more to fix Ship Channel Bridge project, starting with demo of work already completed |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/Harris-County-to-spend-300M-more-to-fix-Ship-16663883.php |access-date=October 5, 2022 |website=Houston Chronicle |language=en-US}}}}{{Cite web |last1=Poirier |first1=Louise |last2=Judy |first2=Scott |date=January 15, 2020 |title=Designer FIGG Removed From One Bridge Job, Faces Scrutiny on Second |url=https://www.enr.com/articles/48488-designer-figg-removed-from-one-bridge-job-faces-scrutiny-on-second |access-date= |website=Engineering News-Record |language=en}}

In July 2020 the developer designated the new engineer for the project as Arup-{{ill|CFC (engineering firm)|lt=CFC|es|Carlos Fernandez Casado}}, who expected no major changes.{{Cite magazine |last=Hakimian |first=Rob |date=August 23, 2022 |title=Contractors on $930M Texas bridge could be removed over lack of action on safety deficiencies |url=https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/contractors-on-930m-texas-bridge-could-be-removed-over-lack-of-action-on-safety-deficiencies-23-08-2022/ |access-date= |magazine=New Civil Engineer |language=en}} Construction resumed in August 2021.

In July 2022 a TxDOT-ordered independent review by International Bridge Technologies found significant design flaws that persisted in its design, including five primary areas of concern.{{refn|group=Note|"...the five primary areas of concern are: (1) inadequate capacity of the pylon drilled shafts, (2) deficiencies in footing caps that led IBT to report that the bridge would collapse under certain load conditions, (3) delta frame design defects, primarily related to the connections between the delta frames and the adjacent precast box units, (4) significant uplift at the intermediate piers, and (5) excessive torsion and other stresses related to crane placement during construction."}} TxDOT subsequently suspended work on the bridge.{{cite letter|first=Brian R.|last=Barth|recipient=Keith Armstrong, Flatiron/Dragados, LLC|subject=US 181 Harbor Bridge Replacement Project CSJ# 0101-06-095 Suspension of Work on New Harbor Bridge|date=July 15, 2022|url=https://www.txdot.gov/content/dam/docs/projects/corpus-christi/suspension-of-work-on-new-harbor-bridge.pdf|access-date=October 6, 2022|author-mask=|language=en|publisher=TxDOT}}{{Cite web |last=Leggate |first=James |date=September 1, 2022 |title=TxDOT: Flatiron/Dragados Takes 'New Direction' in Bridge Design Safety Dispute |url=https://www.enr.com/articles/54743-txdot-flatiron-dragados-take-new-direction-in-bridge-design-safety-dispute |access-date= |website=Engineering News-Record |language=en}} The developer Flatiron/Dragados disputes some of these findings, and as of September 2022 discussion were ongoing with TxDOT regarding future construction and potential design remedies.{{Cite web |last=Leggate |first=James |date=August 17, 2022 |title=TxDOT: Flatiron/Dragados Faces Default Over Bridge Design Issues |url=https://www.enr.com/articles/54631-txdot-flatiron-dragados-faces-default-over-bridge-design-issues |access-date= |website=Engineering News-Record |language=en}}

= Work continues =

TxDOT and Arup-CFC resolved one of the five design issues, deciding to add additional steel reinforcement to the delta box girders, and work resumed on those sections as of November 3, 2022. Construction of the approach spans has continued despite the halt on the main span and towers, and were over 80% complete as of October 28, 2022.{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=Chase |date=October 28, 2022 |title=TxDOT, Harbor Bridge developer resolve 1 of 5 design disputes, push completion to 2025 |url=https://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2022/10/28/harbor-bridge-completion-pushed-to-2025-as-txdot-developer-address-disputes/69600986007/ |access-date= |website=Corpus Christi Caller-Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Leggate |first=James |date=November 3, 2022 |title=DOT, Flatiron-Dragados Resolve Corpus Christi Bridge Design Issue |url=https://www.enr.com/articles/55218-dot-flatiron-dragados-resolve-corpus-christi-bridge-design-issue |access-date= |website=Engineering News-Record |language=en}} TxDOT and Flatiron/Dragados resolved the four remaining design issues in April 2023.{{Cite web |last=Tyson |first=Daniel |date=April 10, 2023 |title=Design Issues Resolved in Delayed $1B Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge |url=https://www.enr.com/articles/56242-design-issues-resolved-in-delayed-1b-corpus-christi-harbor-bridge |access-date= |website=Engineering News-Record |language=en}}

In January 2025, the main span connection of the new Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge was completed when the last southbound segment was installed.{{cite news |url=https://www.kiiitv.com/article/news/local/new-harbor-bridge-is-connected/503-2bcba89e-1a87-42e4-8168-9135271af474 |title=The new Harbor Bridge is connected |last=Wilson |first=Wes |date=January 27, 2025 |work=KIII News |access-date=April 11, 2025 |language=en-US}}