Rainbow Bridge (Texas) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Port Arthur-Orange Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Westbound approach to Rainbow Bridge
Port Arthur-Orange Bridge Location in Texas Show map of Texas Port Arthur-Orange Bridge Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	SH 73 / SH 87 at the Jefferson and Orange county line
Area	4.8 acres (1.9 ha)
Built	1936 (1936)
Built by	Uninon Bridge & Construction, Fort Pitt Bridge Works, et al.
Architectural style	Cantilever through truss
MPS	Historic Bridges of Texas MPS
NRHP reference No.	96001127
Added to NRHP	October 10, 1996

Rainbow Bridge at Sunset

Westbound approach to Rainbow Bridge in Orange County, Texas

Looking at Rainbow Bridge on its northwest side in Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas

Driving eastbound on the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Jefferson County, Texas

The Rainbow Bridge is a through truss bridge crossing the Neches River in Southeast Texas just upstream from Sabine Lake. It allows State Highway 87 and State Highway 73 to connect Port Arthur in Jefferson County on the southwest bank of the river. Bridge City in Orange County is on the northeast bank.

Construction

Construction on the bridge began in 1936 under the guidance of the Texas State Highway Department. Due to concerns by the upstream city of Beaumont about the bridge posing a threat to ship navigation, the Rainbow Bridge was built with a 680-foot (210 m) main span. In addition, it has a vertical clearance of 177 ft (54 m), which was intended to allow what was at the time the tallest ship in the US Navy, USS Patoka, passage under the bridge (however, Patoka never did). However, the height of the bridge did allow the construction of jack up offshore drilling rigs at the Bethlehem Steel Beaumont Shipyard. With seventy-two (72) rigs built, the shipyard was one of the major sources of offshore rigs built in the United States.

The bridge was completed on September 8, 1938. The nearby town of Prairie View took on the name "Bridge City" in response. Initially named the Port Arthur-Orange Bridge, it received its current name in 1957. The bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Veterans Memorial Bridge

In 1988, construction began on the Veterans Memorial Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge. This bridge runs parallel to the Rainbow Bridge, and was dedicated on September 8, 1990. With a vertical clearance of 143 feet (44 m), the bridge is somewhat shorter than its neighbor.

After the completion of the Veterans Memorial Bridge, the Rainbow Bridge was closed for renovations. On its re-opening in 1997, the Rainbow Bridge became one way, handling westbound traffic only. The Veterans Memorial Bridge serves eastbound traffic.