Fred Hartman Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fred Hartman Bridge |
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| Coordinates | 29°42′12″N 95°01′03″W / 29.70347°N 95.01742°W |
| Carries | 8 lanes of  SH 146 |
| Crosses | Houston Ship Channel |
| Locale | Harris County, south of Baytown, Texas and north of La Porte, Texas |
| Official name | Fred Hartman Bridge |
| Maintained by | Texas Department of Transportation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | fan arranged cable-stayed bridge |
| Material | cables: polymer-wrapped twisted steel wire bundles pylons: reinforced concrete main deck: reinforced concrete approach deck: precast prestressed concrete |
| Total length | 4.185 kilometers (2.60 mi) |
| Width | 47 meters (154 ft) |
| Height | 133 meters (436 ft) (pylon) |
| Longest span | 381 meters (1,250 feet) |
| Clearance above | 80.6 meters (262 feet) |
| Clearance below | 54.8 meters (178 feet) |
| History | |
| Construction begin | 1986 |
| Construction end | 1995 |
| Opened | September 27, 1995 |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | none |
The Fred Hartman Bridge is a special type of bridge called a cable-stayed bridge. It's located in Texas, USA. This amazing bridge crosses over the Houston Ship Channel, which is a very busy waterway.
The bridge carries eight lanes of State Highway 146 (SH 146). It connects the cities of Baytown and La Porte, which are east of Houston. Soon, it will also carry State Highway 99, also known as the Grand Parkway.
About the Bridge
The Fred Hartman Bridge is named after Fred Hartman (1908–1991). He was a newspaper editor and publisher for the Baytown Sun for many years. This bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in Texas.
A cable-stayed bridge uses strong cables that go from tall towers (called pylons) down to the bridge deck. These cables help hold up the bridge, making it very strong.
The Fred Hartman Bridge is one of only four cable-stayed bridges in Texas. The others are the Veterans Memorial Bridge, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, and the Bluff Dale Suspension Bridge. It cost about $91.25 million to build.
Replacing the Tunnel
Before the Fred Hartman Bridge was built, cars used to go under the Houston Ship Channel through the Baytown Tunnel. This tunnel was 40 feet deep.
However, the Houston Ship Channel needed to be made deeper. Larger ships needed to pass through, so the channel was dug down to 45 feet. This meant the old tunnel was no longer deep enough.
So, the tunnel had to be removed to make way for the new, deeper channel. The last part of the Baytown Tunnel was taken out on September 14, 1999. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) was in charge of removing it.
Building the Bridge
Plans for the Fred Hartman Bridge were announced in October 1985. Engineers thought it would take about two years to finish. The bridge was designed by a company called Greiner Engineering, Inc.
Construction on the bridge began in 1987. Two companies, Williams Brothers and Traylor Brothers, worked together to build it.
There were some challenges during construction. In 1993, the company chosen to make the steel for the bridge went out of business. Another company from South Africa was then chosen.
The bridge took longer to build than expected. People in Baytown were very eager for it to be finished. Finally, on September 27, 1995, the Fred Hartman Bridge officially opened!
The grand opening ceremony was a big event. Important guests included George W. Bush, who would later become president. Fred Hartman, who the bridge is named after, sadly passed away in 1991 and did not get to see his bridge completed.
Bridge Tolls
Sometimes, people discuss whether to add tolls to bridges. A toll is a fee you pay to use a road or bridge. In 2016, there was a discussion about possibly adding tolls to the Fred Hartman Bridge.
Some people were against the idea of adding tolls. They believed that the bridge should remain free for everyone to use.
