Galveston Causeway Drawbridge Is Replaced; Old Span Heads to California
A NEW VERTICAL LIFT BRIDGE has re- placed a relatively modern bascule built in 1989 on BNSF Railway’s Galveston Causeway over the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway on the Texas coast. In an unusual twist, the not-so- old hinged bridge will be disassembled and moved to northern California. The Coast Guard had long considered the Galveston Causeway bascule bridge a naviga- tional hazard due to its 108-foot wide naviga- tion channel and labeled it the most difficult and dangerous passage on the Gulf Intra-
coastal Waterway in 2001. Since 1990 over 100 vessels had struck the bridge or its protective fenders, guide system, and “dolphins.” At least one strike resulted in loss of life on the vessel as well as property damage. The narrow chan- nel meant that barge tows had little if any room for error when lining up to pass under the railroad bridge, the old Interstate 45 high- way bridge (located a few hundred yards east of the railroad bridge) and nearby electrical transmission towers, depending on the tide, currents, and winds. In addition, the channel
THE NEW GALVESTON CAUSEWAY LIFT SPAN was maneuvered into position between its support towers by a tug (above) on February 14, 2012. The old bascule bridge in the foreground will be disassembled and moved to California to be installed in place of the century-old McNear swing bridge (below) over the Petaluma River in Petaluma, Calif. It was erected by the Philadelphia Bridge Co. for Northwestern Pacific in 1903 and has survived essentially unchanged into 2012 (below right). Freight service resumed on the former NWP in June 2011 and work has recently started to upgrade the line to handle commuter trains, which should begin running in 2014.
is curved on both approaches. (The original I- 45 bridge was a high, fixed span with a 104- foot channel like the rail bridge. It was re- placed in 2008 with a new bridge that provides a 310-foot channel.) More than 21,000 barges move 25 million tons of cargo through the pas- sage every year, and heavy recreational traffic shares the waterway with the commercial ves- sels. Like many movable bridges, the draw is left open except when a train approaches-. In 2001 the Coast Guard directed the span’s owner, the City of Galveston, to replace the bas- cule with a vertical lift bridge which would pro- vide an unobstructed 300-foot channel. Five per cent of the $80 million cost was borne by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, the city of Galveston, the Port of Galveston and Galve- ston County. The remainder was financed by the federal government. (BNSF operates over the causeway and associated Galveston Island
20 MAY 2012 •
RAILFAN.COM
NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY MOULTON COLLECTION
KEN FITZGERALD
RON CLOSE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60