TxDOT closing lanes on Rainbow, Veterans bridges

Bridge City can expect more traffic problems this week as the Texas Department of Transportation plans to close one lane of the Rainbow Bridge on Thursday and one lane of the Veterans Memorial Bridge on Friday.

TxDOT warns to expect delays in travel time and to be cautious of road crews. The closures are for contract inspectors to check the bridges.

The Rainbow Bridge lane closure will be from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 15, with the lane closure on the Veterans Memorial from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, August 16. That means travel from Bridge City to Port Arthur will be down to one lane on Thursday for the time frame. Then travel from Port Arthur to Bridge City will be down to one lane on Friday during the specific hours.

In March this year, TxDOT announced that the Rainbow Bridge would be closed sometime this year for renovations, the 1938 bridge's first major overhaul in 30 years. The original time start was given as late summer or early fall, but no announcement for the start of work has been announced. The project is estimated to require the bridge to be closed at least 18 months.

When the total closure comes, TxDOT is planning to open the Veterans Memorial Bridge to two-way traffic to accommodate the closure. However, the Bridge City City Council complained to the state agency about the plans to direct traffic to the Veterans, saying the change could confuse drivers and cause accidents.

The Rainbow Bridge, known as the tallest bridge in the South, was opened in 1938 with big fanfare. It replaced a ferry crossing at the end of Bailey Road in what is now Bridge City and for half a century, carried two-way traffic on its narrow two lanes.

The Veterans Memorial Bridge opened in 1988 and was designed to allow travel in one direction, leaving the Rainbow Bridge to carry the traffic in the opposite direction. However, the Rainbow Bridge was closed for renovations in the 1990s and was reopened in October 1997.

After a barge collision in Baltimore, Maryland, in March made the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse this past March, the New York Times did as survey of major bridges across the country and whether they had barriers installed to protect against barges or ships making a direct hit on support beams. The Rainbow and Veterans Memorial bridges were reported as having the barriers for protection.