After an unsuccessful attempt to lower the old Harbor Bridge at the beginning of the week of Oct. 27, the Texas Department of Transportation said the decommissioning project is rescheduled for Oct. 30 due to high winds associated with a cold front that is moving into Corpus Christi.
“With the forecast showing improved weather conditions, lowering operations are rescheduled to resume early Thursday morning,” a written statement sent by TxDOT spokesperson Rickey Dailey said on Oct. 28.
It was the second announcement from TxDOT regarding delays to the dismantling of the bridge, which opened to the public in 1959.
On Oct. 27, TxDOT said in a written statement that lowering the center span onto Prometheus, the barge that moved into the Corpus Christi Ship Channel below the bridge on Oct. 25, had taken longer than expected.
Because of the delay, TxDOT moved the barge temporarily on the afternoon of Oct. 27 to allow ships to travel through the channel again.
The updated plan on Oct. 27 called for lowering of the center span to begin early on Oct. 28, with completion expected by late afternoon. The barge was planned to carry the center span to a dock at the Port of Corpus Christi Inner Harbor instead of a dock between Portland and Ingleside.
However, by mid-morning on Oct. 28, officials had moved the barge out of the channel again, and demolition crews stopped working on the project.
It is expected to take between eight and 10 hours to lower the center span onto the barge once the bridge joints at the center span are cut.
The demolition is the final phase of the $1.3 billion Harbor Bridge Replacement Project, which is slated to continue for one year after the opening date of the new bridge, according to TxDOT spokesperson Rickey Dailey.
The bridge’s approach structures on the north and south sides of the ship channel will be demolished later this year.
Representatives of TxDOT and Flatiron/Dragados LLC, the contractor that is overseeing the decommissioning project, have not updated the public on what will happen to the bridge components once they are disassembled.
Parts of the bridge might be saved or repurposed, according to Lynn Allison, a spokesperson for Flatiron/Dragados LLC, though the organizations have not given details.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Lowering of old Harbor Bridge center span delayed due to weather
Reporting by Katie Nickas, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
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