The I-10 bridges over the San Jacinto River are getting a $555 million rebuild

If you drive west from Baytown on I-10, you cross the San Jacinto River on a pair of bridges that have been there a long time. The Texas Department of Transportation, called TxDOT, plans to replace them. The agency puts the cost at about $555 million. The new bridges would sit much higher over the water, and the plan adds lanes. As of this writing, TxDOT lists the project as proposed. It has not posted a start date, a finish date, a contract award or a closure plan.

The short version

• TxDOT plans to rebuild the I-10 San Jacinto River bridges, a 4.5-mile project with an estimated construction cost of about $555 million.
• The new bridges would have 52 feet of clearance over the water instead of 23 feet, and 386 feet of open width for ships and barges instead of 158 feet.
• The project would add lanes to I-10 and Spur 330, and it would need about 6.18 acres of new right-of-way. It could displace one building with two businesses in it.

Where the work is

The project runs from west of Magnolia Street to Thompson Road on I-10. It also covers Spur 330, from I-10 to Thompson Road. TxDOT says the whole stretch is 4.5 miles, all in Harris County.

TxDOT says the bridges now in use were built in 1968 and 1996.

Why TxDOT says the bridges must change

TxDOT says the purpose is to improve traffic flow, increase navigational safety and improve how the roads connect. Its page gives these reasons for replacing the bridges: repeated barge collisions with the bridges, damage from Hurricane Harvey, river scour, and the age of the bridges.

The San Jacinto is a working waterway, and barges and ships pass under the I-10 bridges. TxDOT says the existing bridges have a vertical clearance of 23 feet and a horizontal navigational clearance of 158 feet. Put simply, the open space under the bridge is 23 feet tall and 158 feet wide.

TxDOT writes of "repeated barge traffic collisions with the bridge structures" on the river.

The new bridges would have a 52-foot vertical clearance and a 386-foot horizontal clearance. That is more than twice as tall and more than twice as wide as the open space under the bridges now.

What drivers would get

The plan also adds lanes. TxDOT says it would add:

• One general purpose lane in each direction of I-10.
• Two managed lanes in each direction of I-10.
• One managed lane in each direction on Spur 330, connecting to the proposed I-10 managed lanes.

General purpose lanes are the regular lanes. Managed lanes are separate lanes next to them. TxDOT does not say how the managed lanes would be run, including whether they would charge a toll. Ask TxDOT if that matters to you.

TxDOT also lists acceleration and deceleration lanes and ramps among the improvements.

The cost to people nearby

Wider roads need land. TxDOT says the project needs about 6.18 acres of additional right-of-way. Right-of-way is the strip of land a road sits on.

TxDOT says the project would "potentially displace one non-residential structure containing two businesses." That is one building with two businesses in it. TxDOT's page also lists the move of the City of Baytown's city limit monument. If you own property near the project, TxDOT can tell you whether your land is affected.

What happens next

TxDOT held a virtual public meeting, with an in-person option, on September 19, 2023. Its page lists no later meeting, and the project schematic on the page is dated that same day. The project carries the control section job number 0508-01-379, which is the number to use if you call TxDOT or look the project up.

For the schedule, a start date or a construction plan, contact the TxDOT Houston District (7600 Washington Ave., Houston) through the form on the project page. Until TxDOT posts a schedule, plan on the bridges staying as they are.

Read the fine print

• The $555 million is an estimate of construction cost, not a final bid.
• The clearance numbers for the new bridges are proposed numbers.
• TxDOT says the businesses "potentially" would be displaced, so the final count could change.
• TxDOT's page does not give a schedule, a closure plan or a toll plan, so none of those is decided as far as the public record shows.

Before you go

• Look up job number 0508-01-379 on the TxDOT Houston district site to see the latest.
• If you own property near I-10 and Spur 330 west of Magnolia Street, ask TxDOT whether your land is in the right-of-way.
• Check traffic maps before you leave if you drive this route.

Sources

• TxDOT, I-10 at San Jacinto River Bridge Reconstruction project page (https://www.txdot.gov/projects/projects-studies/houston/i10-at-san-jacinto-river-bridge-reconstruction.html)

En español

El Departamento de Transporte de Texas, conocido como TxDOT, planea reconstruir los puentes de la I-10 sobre el río San Jacinto, los que usted cruza al salir de Baytown hacia el oeste. El costo estimado de construcción es de unos $555 millones. El proyecto abarca 4.5 millas, desde el oeste de la calle Magnolia hasta Thompson Road, todo en el condado de Harris, e incluye la Spur 330. Los puentes actuales fueron construidos en 1968 y 1996. Tienen 23 pies de altura libre y 158 pies de ancho libre para la navegación.

TxDOT da como razones los choques repetidos de barcazas con los puentes, el daño del huracán Harvey, la erosión del río y la edad de los puentes. Los nuevos puentes tendrían 52 pies de altura libre y 386 pies de ancho libre, más del doble de lo que hay hoy.

El plan también agrega carriles: uno general en cada dirección de la I-10, dos carriles administrados en cada dirección de la I-10 y uno en cada dirección de la Spur 330. TxDOT no explica cómo funcionarían los carriles administrados, ni si cobrarían peaje. Los carriles administrados son carriles separados al lado de los normales.

TxDOT necesitaría unos 6.18 acres más de derecho de vía y podría desplazar un edificio con dos negocios. También menciona el traslado del monumento del límite de la ciudad de Baytown. Si usted tiene propiedad cerca de la I-10, puede preguntar a TxDOT si su terreno está dentro del derecho de vía.

La página de TxDOT presenta el proyecto como propuesto y no da fechas de inicio ni de término, ni un plan de cierres. La reunión pública (virtual, con opción presencial) se hizo el 19 de septiembre de 2023, y la página no anuncia otra. El número del proyecto es 0508-01-379. Para saber el calendario, escriba a la oficina de TxDOT en Houston (7600 Washington Ave.) con el formulario de la página del proyecto. Mientras no haya un calendario publicado, los puentes siguen como están.