The Galveston Causeway
From Virginia Point to Galveston Island
The storied mile-long crossing from Virginia point on the Texas mainland to Galveston Island is filled with the determination of pioneers, construction workers, civil engineers, men and women who have built the many causeways connecting Galveston island to the Texas mainland. The narrow passage of water separating the main body of Galveston Bay from West Galveston Bay has been the focus of transportation since the founding of the island city. During the 19th century, railroad causeways tied Texas’ early agricultural wealth to Galveston's harbors. The states cotton, sugar and cereal producers of the interior were linked to the island seagoing commercial traffic by the narrow wooden and steel railroad causeway spanning the shallow waters of West Galveston Bay. These links were destroyed with the Great Storm of 1900. With rapid rise of vehicular traffic in the 20th century, the first causeway constructed following the Great Storm forced motorists to share the crossing with the shipping and interurban railroads.
The Texas Highway Department began construction of the first independent all-weather link to carry vehicular traffic exclusively in 1936. The four-lane, concrete causeway cost $3 million and was dedicated on August 15, 1939. The causeway was 8,400 feet long, 40 feet wide, and had a drawbridge in the center to allow waterborne traffic access to and from Galveston Bay.
Plans to remove the drawbridge and replace it with an elevated segment over shipping lanes with a clearance of 73 feet and construct a second parallel causeway were approved by the Texas Highway Commission in 1957. The causeway would be integrated into the newly-established Interstate Highway System as IH 45 stretching from Galveston to Dallas. The new Causeway opened to traffic in July 1961. The drawbridge portion of the original 1939 structure was then reconstructed and the entire project completed in April 1964.
In June 2003, the Texas Department of Transportation former Texas Highway Department, began construction on new twin structures designed to completely replace the 1939 and 1961 causeways. Although the vertical clearance remained the same, the width of the original causeways double to 144 feet to accommodate the growing vehicular traffic to and from Galveston island. Completed in 2008, the $135 million project is a symbol of the vitality of the Texas Gulf Coast.
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From the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce October 20, 2016
George & Cynthia Mitchell Memorial Causeway Dedication
GALVESTON, TX – The I-45 Causeway linking Galveston Island to the mainland will officially be named the George and Cynthia Mitchell Memorial Causeway on Tuesday, October 25.
State Senator Larry Taylor, State Representative Wayne Faircloth, former Senator A.R. “Babe” Schwartz and the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce will preside at the dedication honoring the Mitchells.
George P. Mitchell, and his wife, Cynthia Woods Mitchell, were pacesetters in the restoration movement on Galveston Island, and in the tourism industry launching Galveston into the national spotlight. In addition to restoring landmark properties including the Hotel Galvez, numerous downtown historic buildings, and the development of the west end, Pirate’s Beach and Pirates Cove, the couple revived Mardi Gras! Galveston, that continues to draw thousands of visitors to the Island. A wildcatter by trade, George Mitchell was a visionary in all respects, and Cynthia Mitchell dedicated her life and talents to accomplish extraordinary feats in restoration and preservation.
The Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce, led by Gina Spagnola, was instrumental in making the causeway dedication a reality. Supporters rallied to the cause and raised the necessary support for this deserving cause. Born on the Island, George Mitchell had a deep love for Galveston and a lifetime commitment to its progress. It is with deep appreciation and admiration, that the State of Texas has named the entrance to Galveston the George and Cynthia Mitchell Memorial Causeway.
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Galveston Causeway
Built 1936 - 1938
State Highway Department of Texas
Commission
Harry Hines
Robert Lee Bobbitt Chairman 1937
John Wood
D.K. Martin 1931 - ‘37
W.L. Wiginton Secretary
Department Staff
Gibb Gilcrest - State Highway Engineer 1935 - 1937
Julian Montgomery - State Highway Engineer 1937
T.P. Webb - Assistant - State Highway Engineer
Herbert Eldridge - Acting Bridge Engineer
Jim Douglas - Division Engineer
Project Staff
T.J. Kelly - Supervising Engineer
Randel B. Alexander - Resident Engineer
Designed by Terrell Bartlett Engineers
From Living the New Deal
Project type: Infrastructure and Utilities, No Longer Extant, Roads, bridges, and tunnels
New Deal Agencies: Public Works Administration (PWA)
Started: 1936
Completed: 1938
Contractors: Austin Bridge Company
DESCRIPTION
Galveston 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” during the late 1930s, “leaving the original bridge for rail traffic.” The Depression-era structure was constructed as a Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project from 1936 to 1938. The auto bridges have since been replaced and demolished.
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County of Galveston
County Commissioners Court
E.B. Wollman - County Judge
James A. Boddeker - First Precinct
Humphrey D. Boyd - Second Precinct
Gus A. Butterow, Jr. - Third Precinct
E.L. Noble - Fourth Precinct
County Officials
Geo. E. Burgess - County Clerk
J.R/ Platte - County Clerk
Chas. H. Theobald - County Attorney
L. Predecki - County Auditor
C.C. Washington - County Engineer
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Galveston Bay
Causeway
Texas Highway Department
Commission
Herbert C. Petry, Jr. - Chairman
C.F. Hawn - Member
Hal Woodward - Member
D.C. Greer
Highway Engineer
Texas Gulf Construction Co., Inc.
Contractors
1959
Galveston Daily News August 10, 1961
Old One Closed
New Causeway Is Opened To Traffic
Galveston’s $4,200,000 causeway was officially open to the public about 3 p.m. Wednesday with a steady flow of traffic reported over the span, officials declared.
At the same time the old causeway, which will be remodeled to conform to the design of the new causeway, was closed to traffic and motorists will now be will now use the four lanes on the new causeway for two-way travel until remodeling work on the old bridge is completed.
At that time the new causeway will be used for Galveston-bound traffic and the old causeway for Mainland-bound traffic.
Finished Contract
Work on the bridge, which rises approximately 73 feet above mean low tide, was completed by the Texas Gulf Construction Co. contractors on the job Wednesday morning and the Texas Highway Department immediately got the bridge ready for use by the public.
Opening the causeway brings to partial completion the plans for a modern system of highways and spans to serve the Galveston area
.
The bridge was started in September, 1959, and all although slight delays were encountered, it was completed in the anticipated two-year period.
No Drawbridge
Elimination of a bascule bridge, to permit vessels to pass beneath so that traffic will not be disrupted, is one of its most important features, officials said.
Formal dedication ceremonies of the new causeway were held July 21 both on the causeway and at a civic luncheon at the Moody center.
Members of the State Highway Commission, state highway engineers and other dignitaries attended, when a joint ribbon-cutting ceremony was held
.
The new causeway, remodeling of the old span and an overpass to Virginia Point together with approaches and other roads is expected to bring the total cost of the project to $5,500,00, highway official said.
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Galveston Causeway
Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works
Project No. TEX - 1968 - R
From Living the New Deal Public Works Administration
PUBLIC WORKS ADMINISTRATION (PWA), 1933-1943
The Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 (NIRA), an act “To encourage national industrial recovery, to foster fair competition, and to provide for the construction of certain useful public works, and for other purposes”. Per Title II, Section 202 of the NIRA, the agency was to “prepare a comprehensive program of public works.” These public works were to include projects related to highways, buildings, natural resource conservation, energy, flood control, housing, and more. The new agency “became known almost immediately as the Public Works Administration,” and on July 8, 1933 President Roosevelt chose Harold Ickes to lead it.
>p>The PWA started with $3.3 billion, “the largest amount ever allotted to a public works scheme” at the time, and this was supplemented by subsequent appropriations acts. Over its 10-year life, the PWA would radically transform the nation’s major infrastructure. By 1939, it had contributed over $3.8 billion towards the construction of 34,000 projects. Some prominent PWA-funded projects are New York’s Triborough Bridge, Grand Coulee Dam, the San Francisco Mint, Reagan National Airport (formerly “Washington National”), and Key West’s Overseas Highway.
Unlike the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration, the PWA was not devoted to the direct hiring of the unemployed. Instead, it administered loans and grants to state and local governments, which then hired private contractors to do the work (some PWA money also went to federal agencies). This arrangement was intended to increase demand for labor and construction goods, and thus act as a catalyst for economic recovery (this type of policy action is usually called “stimulus,” or “priming the pump”). The PWA, like the WPA, let state and local governments take the lead in choosing which projects they wanted built, what designs to use, and who to contract with. Costs were shared roughly half-and-half, but this varied by time, place and project.
After the Reorganization Act of 1939 (signed April 3rd), the PWA was put under the newly-created Federal Works Agency and its functions shifted toward war preparations. As a historian of the Battle of Midway puts it, “[T]he PWA funded construction of the aircraft carriers Yorktown and Enterprise whose aircraft were responsible for sinking the four Japanese aircraft carriers. No stimulus money, no aircraft carriers and no victory at Midway. In addition, the PWA funded the construction of four cruisers, four heavy destroyers, many light destroyers, submarines, planes, engines, and instruments”. On June 30, 1943, President Roosevelt terminated the PWA with Executive Order No. 9357, which transferred the “functions, powers, and duties” of the PWA to the Federal Works Administrator, effective July 1, 1943.
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The Galveston Causeway
President of the United States - George W. Bush
Governor of the State of Texas - Rick Perry
U.S. Transportation Secretary - Mary E. Peters
FHWA Texas Division Administrator - Janice W. Brown
Texas Transportation Commission -
Deirdre Delisi - Chair
Ted Houghton
Ned S. Holmes
Fred Underwood
William Meadows
Robert L. Nichols 1997 - 2005
Ric Williamson 2001 - 2007
Hope Andrade 2003 - 2008
TxDOT
Executive Director - Amadeo Sanez, Jr.
Houston District Engineer - Gary K. Trietsch
Galveston Area Engineer - William P. Babbington
Galveston County Judge - James D. Yarbrough
City of Galveston Mayor - Lyda Ann Thomas
Contractor - Traylor Bros., Inc.
Causeway Construction
2003 - 2008
Traylor Brothers Inc
Traylor Brothers Inc.
IH 45 Galveston Causeway Bridge Replacement
GALVESTON, TX. • $170 MILLION VALUE • 2003 – 2009
The project entailed the construction of twin 8,592-foot, six-lane bridges (four traveling lanes and two full-width shoulder lanes) over the Intercoastal Canal between the Texas mainland and Galveston Island.
Each bridge consists of a three-span cast-in-place twin cell segmental main span bridge (740 feet in total length) over the navigational channel. Approaching the main span bridges are 35 spans (135 feet each) of Type VI girders to the south and an additional 24 spans (135 feet each) to the north. Approach foundations include 960 drilled shafts from 36 to 78 inches in diameter up to 113 feet deep, while each of the two main span piers are founded on 308 24-inch-diameter steel pipe piles 115 feet long.
The bridge contains more than 180,000 cubic yards of concrete, 750,000 pounds of post tensioning, and 32,000,000 pounds of reinforcing steel. Four overhead form traveler systems were used to construct the segmental main span superstructures. Due to environmental concerns and shallow water conditions, approximately 2,000 linear feet of the bridge was constructed off temporary steel work trestle. An overhead truss system that was moved from span to span was utilized to set the girders and precast panels in shallow water sections of the job. Traylor cast all concrete beams (126,692 linear feet) and four-inch deck panels (750,000 square feet) at our Houston precast facility. Two portable concrete batch plants were set up to handle the project, one of which was mounted on a barge.