Houston bridges span not only waterways and freeways, they also connect the city's past and present. From the smaller bridges built to facilitate commerce and connect communities in the city centre, to the electrifying structures created in the port district, bridges in Houston reflect the unique culture of the city. Below you will find a list with the top bridges in Houston for you to visit and explore.
The Sidney Sherman Bridge
Often referred to as the Loop 610 Ship Channel Bridge, the Sidney Sherman Bridge spans the Houston Ship Channel southeast of downtown. It was named after a colonel in the Republic of Texas Armed forces, Sidney Sherman, a leading advocate for improvements to the Houston Ship Channel. The strutted girder bridge, assembled from steel and concrete, opened on March 2, 1973. The main span of the bridge is 600 feet long and ten lanes wide. Its traffic volume as of 2001 averaged 100 twenty two thousand vehicles every day. Local Houston people price this bridge for its view of the Houston Ship Channel, particularly after dark when the twinkling lights of the industrial section of the city may be seen in the distance.
Sam Houston Tollway Ship Channel Bridge
Previously called the Jesse H. Jones Memorial Bridge, this bridge crosses the Houston Ship Channel at Beltway 8 to the east of downtown Houston. The cantilevered concrete box girder bridge opened in 1982 with a main span length of 7 hundred and fifty feet. Though its design might appear modest and minimalist compared with other major Houston bridges, the Sam Houston Tollway Ship Channel Bridge is amongst the most highly travelled. Its 4 traffic lanes saw more than twenty-eight thousand automobiles a day in 2002.
San Jacinto Street Bridge
This open spandrel arch bridge was built in 1914 to span Buffalo Bayou in the heart of downtown Houston. It was rehabilitated in 1995. With a length of three hundred and twenty-five feet, the San Jacinto Street Bridge is an element of the one-way, northward bound road; southerly bound traffic must employ the Fannin Street Bridge. This is worth a stop by.
Fred Hartman Bridge
The Fred Hartman Bridge connects the communities of LaPorte and Baytown. Outside Houston correct, though still in the Houston metropolitan area, this steel, cable-stayed bridge is eight traffic lanes wide. It was built in 1995. As of 2008, its average daily traffic surpassed thirty thousand cars a day. Due to the shape of its towers, this bridge makes an incredible view of the Houston Ship Channel.
McKee Street Bridge
Found in Houston's Warehouse District, the planning of McKee Street Bridge shows equal quantities history and caprice. The bridge is on the National Historic Register. Engineer James Gordon McKenzie built the girder bridge in 1932. Made from bolstered concrete, the girders continue their curves above the highway, making for a weird but pleasing shape. In an urban reclamation project, an artist named Kirk Farris painted the McKee Street Bridge using bright reds and blues, adding multiple, bulbous light fittings that add to its eccentric appearance.
The Sidney Sherman Bridge
Often referred to as the Loop 610 Ship Channel Bridge, the Sidney Sherman Bridge spans the Houston Ship Channel southeast of downtown. It was named after a colonel in the Republic of Texas Armed forces, Sidney Sherman, a leading advocate for improvements to the Houston Ship Channel. The strutted girder bridge, assembled from steel and concrete, opened on March 2, 1973. The main span of the bridge is 600 feet long and ten lanes wide. Its traffic volume as of 2001 averaged 100 twenty two thousand vehicles every day. Local Houston people price this bridge for its view of the Houston Ship Channel, particularly after dark when the twinkling lights of the industrial section of the city may be seen in the distance.
Sam Houston Tollway Ship Channel Bridge
Previously called the Jesse H. Jones Memorial Bridge, this bridge crosses the Houston Ship Channel at Beltway 8 to the east of downtown Houston. The cantilevered concrete box girder bridge opened in 1982 with a main span length of 7 hundred and fifty feet. Though its design might appear modest and minimalist compared with other major Houston bridges, the Sam Houston Tollway Ship Channel Bridge is amongst the most highly travelled. Its 4 traffic lanes saw more than twenty-eight thousand automobiles a day in 2002.
San Jacinto Street Bridge
This open spandrel arch bridge was built in 1914 to span Buffalo Bayou in the heart of downtown Houston. It was rehabilitated in 1995. With a length of three hundred and twenty-five feet, the San Jacinto Street Bridge is an element of the one-way, northward bound road; southerly bound traffic must employ the Fannin Street Bridge. This is worth a stop by.
Fred Hartman Bridge
The Fred Hartman Bridge connects the communities of LaPorte and Baytown. Outside Houston correct, though still in the Houston metropolitan area, this steel, cable-stayed bridge is eight traffic lanes wide. It was built in 1995. As of 2008, its average daily traffic surpassed thirty thousand cars a day. Due to the shape of its towers, this bridge makes an incredible view of the Houston Ship Channel.
McKee Street Bridge
Found in Houston's Warehouse District, the planning of McKee Street Bridge shows equal quantities history and caprice. The bridge is on the National Historic Register. Engineer James Gordon McKenzie built the girder bridge in 1932. Made from bolstered concrete, the girders continue their curves above the highway, making for a weird but pleasing shape. In an urban reclamation project, an artist named Kirk Farris painted the McKee Street Bridge using bright reds and blues, adding multiple, bulbous light fittings that add to its eccentric appearance.
About the Author:
Shawn Shawshank has been fascinated by Houston landmarks for several years. He has written op-eds and editorial pieces for many online publications. For more information about Houston bridges feel free to visit his site.
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