A new High Bridge for the Port of Corpus Christi

If all goes according to plans, the City of Corpus Christi will have a new high bridge open to traffic by this time next year. If that happens, we will have to say goodbye to the old Harbor Bridge when it’s demolished the following year.

When it was constructed in the 1950s, it was the tallest bridge in Texas and the largest project in the 42-year history of the Texas Highway Department. The cost of the bridge itself was $9,053,523. With land acquisition and approaches the cost of the entire project came to $19 million. A total of 340 men took part in its construction….four of whom lost their lives due to falls during construction, and two more on maintenance crews in later years.

The steel and concrete bridge weighs 155 million pounds, and its innovative construction created quite a stir back in the day. It was the first bridge in the world to use neoprene pads between the bridge approach piers and the roadway to “soften” the ride of traffic. It was also the first to use “pre-stressed concrete”, reinforced with tensioned steel strands for the bridge approaches.

Contributed Photo - Robert Parks

Construction of the new bridge opened up the Port of Corpus Christi to much larger ships and eliminated the “bottleneck” created by the old Bascule Bridge that it replaced. Many of us remember the long wait time as the Bascule Bridge was raised to allow ships into and out of the port. Traffic was stopped as the bridge was raised an average of 30 times a day.

Contributed Photo - Robert Parks

For the first time since 1926, traffic could flow uninterrupted over the ship channel. The new Harbor Bridge allowed the entrance to the port to be widened from 90 feet to 400 feet, and its construction paved the way for the Port of Corpus Christi to become one of the busiest ports in the country.

Construction on the Harbor Bridge began in 1956 after years of discussion and bickering. Many wanted a tunnel under the ship channel instead of a high bridge. A toll for use of the tunnel would pay for the project. Mayor Albert Lichtenstein, a proponent of the tunnel, resigned in protest in 1953 over the controversy.

Special Collections and Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

The bickering ended when the state declared that it would not fund a tunnel project, but would pay the entire cost of a high bridge. Construction of the approaches to the new bridge would forever alter the northern part of the city by isolating the Hillcrest and Washington-Coles neighborhoods and by-passing North Beach. A number of historic homes and businesses would also be lost during construction.

Special Collections and Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi’s population on opening day for the new bridge….October 23, 1959….was only 167,000. But, on that first day, 45,663 cars crossed over the new bridge. With an average of only two people in each car, that’s over half of the city’s entire population making the crossing on day one! Mrs. Eleanor Tarrant was the first person to drive over the new bridge after winning a drawing from the 2,500 people who had entered a “name the bridge” contest.

Special Collections and Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi - Murphy Givens South Texas Historical Papers

Suggestions included “Summit Bridge”, “Lookout Bridge”, “Rainbow Bridge”, “Skyway Bridge”, and hundreds of others. “Lookout Bridge” was actually listed on more entries than any other name. But the name “Harbor Bridge” was not far behind, and it was the one that the Bridge Naming Committee selected. But, it took a number of years for the name to catch on. Most people continued to call it simply the “High Bridge”. The new bridge that will open in 2025 is to also be called “Harbor Bridge”, but I suspect that it will be referred to as the “New Harbor Bridge”.

Contributed Photo - Robert Parks

In 1959, the new bridge, which took 3 years and 4 months to build, was an instant hit with the public. It quickly became the symbol of Corpus Christi and its most photographed structure. This was a majestic piece of engineering that really did add some sparkle to the Sparkling City by the Sea. The new thrill that never got old was the sight one got when returning to Corpus Christi over the bridge at night. From the crest of the bridge, one has just a few seconds to take in the whole magnificent scene....the brilliantly lit refineries to the west all the way over to the lights of the Naval Air Station to the south. It did not take long for the Harbor Bridge to become the signature structure in Corpus Christi and the primary subject of just about every postcard for sale to tourists.

Contributed Photo - Robert Parks

For those of us who grew up in Corpus Christi, we all have stories to tell about our beloved Harbor Bridge. We’ve all driven over it hundreds of times, and many have walked over it at least once. From the beginning, there have been memorable “incidents” associated with our famous landmark. Just two months after the October 1959 opening, the pilot of a small airplane flew under the new bridge, flying 30 to 50 feet above the water. The identity of the daredevil pilot was never learned.

Contributed Photo - Robert Parks

A week before the airplane incident….on December 23, 1959….a young man decided to see how fast one could travel over the new bridge in a car. Police clocked his speed at over 95 mph before he was captured and taken to jail. The man was fined $300….the equivalent of $3,059.76 in today’s money! Then, there were the ingenious and devious Miller Bucs. On the night of November 11, 1959, several Buc fans successfully hung a dummy dressed in a Ray Texan football uniform from the superstructure of the Harbor Bridge. This was two nights before the big showdown between the two crosstown rivals. W.B. Ray was ranked #1 in the state and was a slight favorite to win. Miller had lost only 2 games and was ranked #9 in the state. Ray won the game, 24-6, and went on to win the state championship. The Miller culprits who hung the dummy from the bridge were never caught.

Contributed Photo - Robert Parks

The now iconic Harbor Bridge quickly became the city’s most visible symbol. But keeping it beautiful and viable as a safe structure has been a challenge since its construction. Once construction was completed in 1959, the new steel bridge had to be painted. An initial painting of the steel was done in 1958-59 and was done with brushes. But, the first end-to-end paint job was begun in April 1960 and took over two years to complete. It was discovered that spray guns were required to reach every square inch of steel. It took 15,000 gallons of paint to complete the job…and once it was finished, the crew moved all of its equipment to the opposite side of the bridge and began sandblasting and repainting all over again! The initial painting cost $22,000 (or the equivalent of $218,300 in today’s money). Over the 60-plus years of the Harbor Bridge’s existence, the cost of painting and repainting has far exceeded the cost of building the bridge! Additional maintenance of the bridge included complete replacement of the roadway surface in 1983 at a cost of $7 million. The original “lightweight” concrete surface was made using “expanded shale” rather than the solid rock gravel that replaced it. Engineering studies determined that the superstructure of the bridge could support the additional weight of the rock based concrete.

Special Collections and Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Lighting the bridge in the beginning was done with 254 fluorescent lights that cost $700.50 a month to operate. In December 1986, the entire superstructure of Harbor bridge was beautifully illuminated with 200 amber-colored sodium vapor lights. But, we had to wait until 2010 to get magnificent LED lighting that would keep us entertained for the next 11 years. In 2021, the lighting brackets began to fail….and fall… and the whole system had to be removed.

Contributed Photo - Robert Parks

Had the original construction schedule for the new high bridge been kept, the old Harbor Bridge would have already been demolished. As of right now, we’ll have it standing for at least several more years. Since 1960, I’ve managed to photograph the bridge over 1,300 times from every angle possible. It never seems to lose its classic beauty, and it will be missed when it’s gone.

Robert Parks is a special contributor to KRIS 6 News. Parks was a history teacher at Carroll High School for 19 years and is now retired. His knowledge of Corpus Christi history makes him a unique expert in the subject.