Galveston Causeway

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Galveston Causeway" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Bridge in Texas, United States

George and Cynthia Mitchell Memorial Causeway

The old 1912 Galveston Causeway, now in use as a railroad bridge.

Coordinates| 29°17′45″N 94°53′10″W﻿ / ﻿29.2957°N 94.8861°W﻿ / 29.2957; -94.8861
Carries| BNSF Railway/Union Pacific Railroad (old causeway)
I-45 (new causeway)
Crosses| Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Galveston Bay
Locale| Connects Galveston, Texas and Texas City, Texas,
United States
Official name| George & Cynthia Mitchell Memorial Causeway
Maintained by| Texas Department of Transportation
History
Engineering design by| Concrete Steel Engineering Company
Constructed by| Penn Bridge Company
Construction start| 1912 (1912)
Opened| 1912 (1912) (original causeway)

Galveston Causeway

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Texas State Antiquities Landmark

Area| 39 acres (16 ha)
NRHP reference No.| 76002028[1]
TSAL No.| 8200001369
Significant dates
Added to NRHP| December 12, 1976
Designated TSAL| January 1, 1981
Location

The George and Cynthia Mitchell Memorial Causeway is a set of causeways in Galveston, Texas, United States. Two of the routes carry the southbound and northbound traffic of Interstate 45, while the original causeway is restricted to rail traffic. It is the main roadway access point to Galveston Island. The second access point is Bolivar Ferry.

The 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 in 1939, leaving the original bridge for rail traffic. The original route was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

## Rebuilding in 2003

[edit]

New Galveston Causeway bridge under construction in 2007

Construction of replacement bridges for both auto routes began in 2003 with completion of the new northbound bridge in 2005. The construction of a new southbound bridge began in 2006, however Hurricane Ike delayed completion until November 2008.[2][3]

## 2008 hurricane damage

[edit]

In September 2008, the causeway flooded badly before Hurricane Ike due to the tremendous storm surge created by the very wide storm. This is in contrast to a typical hurricane, which would cause the closure of the causeway due to wind before surge. As of the early afternoon on September 13, 12 hours after official landfall, the causeway was blocked by numerous watercraft.

## Railroad drawbridge replacement

[edit]

The old bascule bridge in its raised position. A barge passing under the new lift span on the railroad causeway, with the 2008-opened new causeway for road vehicles visible at left. The old bascule span now in Petaluma, California. It was repainted to match the theme color for the commuter train seen here. The taller bridge in the background is US 101.

The original drawspan was replaced in 1987 with a new, narrower bascule span that pivoted from the island side of instead of the mainland side as the original did. The new span did not include space for a roadway, and a new service building was built on the old roadway on the island side of the channel. In 2001, the U.S. Coast Guard had declared the old span's narrow passageway to be a hazard to navigation. It was only 105 feet (32 m) wide, whereas the replacement vertical-lift span allowed the channel to be widened to about 300 feet (91 m).[4] In 2012, the bascule-type drawbridge on the railroad causeway was again replaced with a vertical-lift-type drawbridge, allowing the navigation channel through the draw span to be widened. The old bridge was sold to Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit to be installed on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad in Petaluma, California to cross the Petaluma River.[5]

## Re-dedication

[edit]

The causeway was re-dedicated in honor of George Mitchell and his wife Cynthia Woods-Mitchell on Tuesday October 25, 2016, to honor their contributions to the island and City of Galveston.[6]

## See also

[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places portal
* Texas portal

* List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Texas
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Galveston County, Texas

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. ^ Paschenko, Chris (October 21, 2008). "Causeway should be open by November". Galveston County Daily News. Archived from the original on October 21, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2008.
3. ^ Paschenko, Chris (November 6, 2008). "Still some delays after new causeway opens". Galveston County Daily News. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
4. ^ "Galveston Causeway Bridge replacement gains federal funding" (Press release). U.S. Representative Gene Green. June 19, 2008. Archived from the original on March 15, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
5. ^ "SMART to buy a (draw)bridge". Santa Rosa Press Democrat. February 14, 2012.
6. ^ "George & Cynthia Mitchell Memorial Causeway Dedication".[permanent dead link]

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Galveston Causeway.

* City of Galveston Thoroughfare Plan - Transportation access to Galveston planning[permanent dead link]
* Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. TX-37, "Galveston Causeway, Spanning Galveston Bay parallel to I-45, Galveston, Galveston County, TX", 6 photos, 4 data pages, 1 photo caption page

* v
* t
* e

National Register of Historic Places in Texas

Lists
by county|

* Anderson
* Andrews
* Angelina
* Aransas
* Archer
* Armstrong
* Atascosa
* Austin
* Bailey
* Bandera
* Bastrop
* Baylor
* Bee
* Bell
* Bexar
* Blanco
* Borden
* Bosque
* Bowie
* Brazoria
* Brazos
* Brewster
* Briscoe
* Brooks
* Brown
* Burleson
* Burnet
* Caldwell
* Calhoun
* Callahan
* Cameron
* Camp
* Carson
* Cass
* Castro
* Chambers
* Cherokee
* Childress
* Clay
* Cochran
* Coke
* Coleman
* Collin
* Collingsworth
* Colorado
* Comal
* Comanche
* Concho
* Cooke
* Coryell
* Cottle
* Crane
* Crockett
* Crosby
* Culberson
* Dallam
* Dallas
* Dawson
* Deaf Smith
* Delta
* Denton
* DeWitt
* Dickens
* Dimmit
* Donley
* Duval
* Eastland
* Ector
* Edwards
* El Paso
* Ellis
* Erath
* Falls
* Fannin
* Fayette
* Fisher
* Floyd
* Foard
* Fort Bend
* Franklin
* Freestone
* Frio
* Gaines
* Galveston
* Garza
* Gillespie
* Glasscock
* Goliad
* Gonzales
* Gray
* Grayson
* Gregg
* Grimes
* Guadalupe
* Hale
* Hall
* Hamilton
* Hansford
* Hardeman
* Hardin
* Harris
* Harrison
* Hartley
* Haskell
* Hays
* Hemphill
* Henderson
* Hidalgo
* Hill
* Hockley
* Hood
* Hopkins
* Houston
* Howard
* Hudspeth
* Hunt
* Hutchinson
* Irion
* Jack
* Jackson
* Jasper
* Jeff Davis
* Jefferson
* Jim Hogg
* Jim Wells
* Johnson
* Jones
* Karnes
* Kaufman
* Kendall
* Kenedy
* Kent
* Kerr
* Kimble
* King
* Kinney
* Kleberg
* Knox
* La Salle
* Lamar
* Lamb
* Lampasas
* Lavaca
* Lee
* Leon
* Liberty
* Limestone
* Lipscomb
* Live Oak
* Llano
* Loving
* Lubbock
* Lynn
* Madison
* Marion
* Martin
* Mason
* Matagorda
* Maverick
* McCulloch
* McLennan
* McMullen
* Medina
* Menard
* Midland
* Milam
* Mills
* Mitchell
* Montague
* Montgomery
* Moore
* Morris
* Motley
* Nacogdoches
* Navarro
* Newton
* Nolan
* Nueces
* Ochiltree
* Oldham
* Orange
* Palo Pinto
* Panola
* Parker
* Parmer
* Pecos
* Polk
* Potter
* Presidio
* Rains
* Randall
* Reagan
* Real
* Red River
* Reeves
* Refugio
* Roberts
* Robertson
* Rockwall
* Runnels
* Rusk
* Sabine
* San Augustine
* San Jacinto
* San Patricio
* San Saba
* Schleicher
* Scurry
* Shackelford
* Shelby
* Sherman
* Smith
* Somervell
* Starr
* Stephens
* Sterling
* Stonewall
* Sutton
* Swisher
* Tarrant
* Taylor
* Terrell
* Terry
* Throckmorton
* Titus
* Tom Green
* Travis
* Trinity
* Tyler
* Upshur
* Upton
* Uvalde
* Val Verde
* Van Zandt
* Victoria
* Walker
* Waller
* Ward
* Washington
* Webb
* Wharton
* Wheeler
* Wichita
* Wilbarger
* Willacy
* Williamson
* Wilson
* Winkler
* Wise
* Wood
* Yoakum
* Young
* Zapata
* Zavala

National parks|

* Big Bend National Park
* Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Other lists|

* Bridges
* National Historic Landmarks
* National Natural Landmarks
* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks

* United States National Register of Historic Places listings
* Keeper of the Register
* History of the National Register of Historic Places
* Property types
* Historic district
* Contributing property

* v
* t
* e

City of Galveston

Attractions|

* Ashton Villa
* Balinese Room
* Bishop's Palace
* East End Historic District
* Elissa (ship)
* Fort Crockett
* Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier
* Galveston Island State Park
* Galveston Pirate SC
* Galveston Railroad Museum
* Galveston Seawall
* Galveston Island Trolley
* Grand 1894 Opera House
* Lone Star Flight Museum
* Moody Gardens
* Moody Plaza
* Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum
* Old Red
* Rosenberg Library
* Sts. Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church
* St. Mary Cathedral Basilica
* Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark
* Seawolf Park
* Strand Historic District
* 1861 United States Customs and Federal Court House
* USS Cavalla
* USS Stewart

Industries|

* American National Insurance Company
* Galveston Railroad
* Island Transit
* Moody Foundation
* Moody National Bank
* Port of Galveston
* Texas First Bank
* Scholes International Airport at Galveston

History|

* Battle of Galveston Harbor
* First Battle of Galveston
* Second Battle of Galveston
* The Beach Hotel
* Fort Point Light
* Galveston Railroad
* Galveston Hurricane of 1900
* Galveston Hurricane of 1915
* Galveston Movement
* Jewish history
* Karankawa Indians
* Free State of Galveston
* Strand Historic District
* 1861 United States Customs and Federal Court House
* Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway

Geography|

* Galveston Bay
* Galveston Island
* Gulf of Mexico
* San Luis Pass
* West Bay

Education|

* Galveston College
* Galveston ISD
* Ball HS
* Central HS
* O'Connell College Preparatory School
* Texas A&M University at Galveston
* University of Texas Medical Branch

| Defunct|

* Central HS
* Dominican HS

|

Healthcare
& research|

* Galveston National Biocontainment Laboratory
* John Sealy Hospital
* Sealy & Smith Foundation
* Shriners Hospital for Children
* Transitional Learning Center
* University of Texas Medical Branch

Media|

| Newspapers|

* The Daily News

|

Television|

* KLTJ (Daystar)
* KTMD (Telemundo)

AM radio|

* KGBC

FM radio|

* KOVE

VHF radio|

* KHB40

Other|

* Galveston Causeway
* Mayor
* List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast
* Bolivar Bridge
* A Weekend in September
* Battle on the Bay
* Mythic Galveston

*[No.]: number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template