TX: proposed Galveston-Bolivar bridge reportedly scrapped
MaxConcrete
This is somewhat of a surprise to me, but I'm not shedding any tears. This
would have led to further urbanization of the Bolivar Peninsula, which would
definitely have been a bad thing.
This was one of the few opportunities for an all-new high-span bridge in the
United States.
I agree with the report that a variety of factors were working against the
bridge, especially the influential Port of Houston which did not want a
navigation hazard in the channel. Cost and environmental issues surely had
an influence, too.
12:20 pm: Bolivar bridge project abandoned
By CHRISTINE RAPPLEYE, The Enterprise
10/02/2007
Updated 10/02/2007 12:26:22 PM CDT
Plans for a towering bridge connecting Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston
Island have been scrapped, according to a Texas Department of Transportation
spokesman said.
The project, estimated at about $240 million, was too costly with too many
unknown factors, including environmental impact, exact location and how high
the bridge would be built.
A fleet of five ferries connects the 2.5 miles from Bolivar to Galveston.
MaxConcrete
Bolivar-Galveston bridge project off the table
By CHRISTINE RAPPLEYE, The Enterprise
10/03/2007
Updated 10/02/2007 09:45:15 PM CDT
Concerns about tolls, escalating inflation, environmental impact and exactly
how high to build a bridge to connect Bolivar Peninsula to Galveston Island
has prompted officials to nix the project.
That leaves commuters with just the ferries to traverse the 2.7 miles across
the busy entrance to the Galveston Bay complex and the Houston Ship Channel.
"Everything was considered," Norm Wigington, Texas Department of
Transportation spokesman, said of connecting Texas 87 by bridge. "All of it
seemed to not be working out."
One price for the bridge was $240 million, and the Port of Houston at one
time recommended the bridge rise 300 feet to clear incoming ships, he said
during the phone interview.
One possible source of funding for such a mammoth project was to make it a
toll bridge.
But if drivers had to pay a fee to cross the proposed bridge, ferries still
would need to run as a free route, negating any savings of the $16 million
spent annually for ferry operations, Wiginton said.
A new $16 million ferry has been ordered, and that sixth vessel is expected
to join the fleet next year, he said.
Waiting for the ferry is the biggest complaint. Wait times can be anywhere
from just a half hour or less to several hours.
"I like using the ferry," Linda Kramer, a Cobb Real Estate sales assistant,
said by phone. "I don't like waiting."
She usually waits 30 to 45 minutes to get across.
This summer, Kramer and others have started telling their beach cabin
renters to come through Winnie and High Island instead.
"It's a sure shot. You'll know how long you'll be on the road," she added.
Eddie Oehlers, Gilchrist Community Association, said he remembers the
excitement and support when the bridge project was first brought up years
ago.
Support seemed to wane with changes - including the toll bridge proposal and
the possibility of more truck traffic, he said.
"I think a lot of people got nervous about truck traffic," Oehlers said by
phone. "If they surveyed (residents) now, a high majority would be against
it."
Other factors were the impact on wetlands on the west end of the Bolivar
Peninsula, the rising costs of construction due to inflation and whether to
connect Bolivar to Galveston or to Pelican Island, Wigington said.
"What does the bridge go to?" Wigington asked, noting that about 20 miles of
Texas 87 is washed out east of High Island.
Building a tunnel also was considered and then rejected, Wigington said.
Ferries have been traversing the waterway since the 1930s.
rapp...@beaumontenterprise.com (409) 880-0727
Updated 10/02/2007 09:45:15 PM CDT
©The Beaumont Enterprise 2007