Corpus Christi Harbor bridge - Wikipedia Corpus Christi Harbor bridge Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge The Harbor Bridge crossing into Corpus Christi Coordinates 27 ° 48 ′ 46 '' N 97 ° 23 ′ 43 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 27.812857 ° N 97.39527 ° W ﻿ / 27.812857 ; - 97.39527 Coordinates : 27 ° 48 ′ 46 '' N 97 ° 23 ′ 43 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 27.812857 ° N 97.39527 ° W ﻿ / 27.812857 ; - 97.39527 Carries 6 lanes of US 181 and SH 35 Crosses Port of Corpus Christi Locale Corpus Christi, Texas Official name Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge Characteristics Design Through arch bridge Height 243 ft Longest span 620 ft. Clearance below 138 ft History Opened 1959 Statistics Toll none The Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge is a through arch bridge located in Corpus Christi, Texas which carries six lanes of US 181 from downtown Corpus Christi to Rincon Point, known to locals as North Beach. The harbor bridge crosses the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, which serves the Port of Corpus Christi, which is one of the US 's busiest seaports and handles nearly 26,000 vehicles daily. A new bridge called the New Harbor Bridge is currently under construction, which would allow larger ships to pass beneath. Contents 1 History 2 Current bridge 2.1 New lighting 3 Incidents 4 References 5 External links History Geography The entire bay ecosystem is protected from the Gulf Of Mexico by barrier islands. Mustang Island and San Jose Island are the two principal landmasses that shield the Aransas and Corpus Christi Bays from the wider Gulf. Inland from Corpus Christi Bay is Nueces Bay, the outlet for the Nueces River. The Nueces and Corpus Christi bays are separated by a sandbar anchored on the south end by Rincon Point peninsula and Indian Point peninsula on the north. Just south of Rincon Point was a small natural channel called Hall 's Bayou. Hall 's Bayou Bridge In the 1880s a small wooden bridge was erected over Hall 's Bayou, then little more than a muddy slough, to allow access to Rincon Point. Bascule Bridge One of the 1920s era federal Rivers and Harbors Acts authorized dredging a channel 25 feet deep and 200 feet wide from the Gulf Of Mexico, through Aransas Pass and on into Hall 's Bayou. Dredging was completed and the port was opened in 1926. The Act also authorized the construction of a 121 foot long, 52 foot wide bascule - type drawbridge. The bridge was built by the Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Co. and upon completion was painted black and coated in grease to inhibit corrosion. The operations of the bridge were complex, consisting of whistled signals between approaching ship and bridge operators. When the bridge had to be raised, this caused frustration for drivers who had to cross the bridge, as it was raised well before ships came close, and had to stay raised for up to 20 minutes or more, and sometimes up to 30 times a day. Harbor Bridge By the 1950s the Bascule bridge was a significant traffic bottleneck. As part of the nationwide interstate highway system, Congress authorized funding for IH - 37 through Corpus Christi and included money for the construction of a new bridge that was elevated over the channel at a height sufficient to allow the passage of ships without stopping vehicular traffic. In 1959 the current Harbor Bridge was completed, allowing ships with a maximum above - waterline height of 138 feet to pass underneath and use a wider portion of the channel than the previous drawbridge. The Harbor Bridge is slated for demolition to be completed in 2021, pending the successful completion of its ' replacement. 2020 Harbor Bridge The 1959 Harbor Bridge was constructed with a 50 year lifespan in mind. In 2008 Local, State, and Federal authorities began the replacement process. The 2020 Harbor Bridge will be a cable - stayed suspension bridge with a 1,661 feet span, rising to a height of 538 feet at the peak of each support pylon. The bridge will allow passage of ships up to 205 feet above - waterline height. The concrete construction technique used for bridge segments have a 170 year estimated life. Construction is slated to finish in 2020. Current bridge New lighting A new LED lighting system was unveiled to the public on December 4, 2011, at a public lighting ceremony held at Whataburger Field. The $2.2 million project was a joint venture between the City of Corpus Christi, the Port of Corpus Christi, the Texas Department of Transportation, and American Bank. The lighting system comprises more than 950 Philips Color Kinetics fixtures, and has over 11,000 individually addressable RGB nodes. Incidents In 2013 two men and one woman died in unrelated incidents after jumping off the bridge. References Jump up ^ Harbor Bridge, Corpus Christi / Emporis.com Jump up ^ Hardt, Steven ( May 3, 2015 ). `` Developer Selected to Build U.S. 's Longest Cable Stayed Bridge in Corpus Christi, Texas ''. Los Angeles : Nossaman LLP.. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge. City of Corpus Christi Government History Timeline Media Education Schools Corpus Christi ISD Mary Carroll High School Richard King High School Roy Miller High School Foy H. Moody High School W.B. Ray High School Veterans Memorial High School West Oso ISD West Oso High School Calallen ISD Calallen High School Flour Bluff ISD Flour Bluff High School Tuloso - Midway ISD Tuloso - Midway High School London ISD Colleges and universities Texas A&M University -- Corpus Christi Del Mar College Military Naval Air Station Corpus Christi USS City of Corpus Christi ( SSN - 705 ) Parks and Recreation Corpus Christi Bay Nueces Bay Oso Bay List of Parks Sports C.C. Hooks C.C. IceRays C.C. Rugby Football Club Tourism List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast USS Lexington Texas State Aquarium Mirador de la Flor Botanical Gardens and Nature Center La Palmera Sunrise Mall One Shoreline Plaza American Bank Center Mustang Island Padre Island Bayfest Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge Transportation Corpus Christi International Airport Harbor Bridge JFK Causeway Government TX 27 Nueces County United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas This article about a bridge in Texas is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Corpus_Christi_Harbor_Bridge&oldid=865469056 '' Categories : Road bridges in Texas Bridges completed in 1959 Transportation in Corpus Christi, Texas Buildings and structures in Corpus Christi, Texas Through arch bridges in the United States Southern United States bridge ( structure ) stubs Texas building and structure stubs Texas transportation stubs Talk Contents About Wikipedia 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 24 October 2018, at 04 : 25 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when was the corpus christi harbor bridge built
Answer: Opened
1959