BNSF/Santa Fe Causeway Bridges at Galveston, TX

(Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

Modern lift bridge with concrete arch approach spans over Galveston Bay on BNSF Railway (and former highway).
Built 1912, Original Bascule replaced in 1987; 1987 bascule span replaced in 2012 by a lift span.
[Bridge Hunter]

A combined railroad and vehicle causeway was built in 1893 using a swing span for the navigation channel and trusses for the other spans. But it got destroyed by a hurricane in 1900. The concrete arches we see today were built between 1909 and 1912 to withstand hurricanes. The arches survived a hurricane in 1915, but the earth filled sections leading to the bridge were washed away. When they were rebuilt, concrete was used instead of earth.

The lift span is significantly longer than the 1987 bascule span.

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safe_image for Rail bridge moved into place, Feb 14, 2020, James Nielson/Chronicle
Workers wait in the fog during as the new Galveston Causeway Railroad Bridge is brought in on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, in Galveston. The 382-foot bridge will replace the old 125-foot span that connects Galveston to the mainland. Construction began on the $80 million project in June of 2010 and is expected to be completed by this coming June. BNSF Railway's Regional Director og Public Affairs Joseph Faust said: "It was a spectacular sight to see the structure appear in Galveston Bay” during the foggy morning float in of the bridge.

Tom Bell posted four photos with the comment: "Here are some shots for you all. firstly, replacement of the Galveston causeway bridge for UPRR/ASTF/SP/MP, now just BNSF and UPRR joint trackage."

The 1912 movable span was designed by Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Company.

Postcard via Bridge Hunter

The 1987 movable span was designed by the American Bridge Division of US Steel (Chicago Engineering Office). I-45 was replaced in 2003 and 2008 to widen the shipping canal and to provide 8 lanes of  traffic.

TexasFreeway

Patrick Feller Flickr, License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)

New Galveston Causeway Railroad Lift Bridge 0219121402

This new lift bridge was very recently [2012] put into place to replace the bascule bridge. The existing channel was dangerously narrow and the Coast Guard had ordered it widened. The old causeway structure between the two towers will be removed.

 

Douglas Butler posted
From Flickr BNSF Railroad Lift Bridge in Galveston, TX.

Satellite

The 1987 span was moved to California to replace a swing bridge. According to the comments, it is the Haystack Rail Bridge that is being replaced. But it still (accessed 2020) has the swing bridge in the satellite image. Of course the satellite images have a delay. That span would have been an interesting load going through the Panama Canal.

The concrete arches were built between 1909 and 1912 to withstand hurricanes.

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SMU Libraries Flickr via Bridge Hunter, 

Public Domain: Published Prior to 1923

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The concrete arches do appear to have passed the test of time.

Patrick Feller Flickr via Bridge Hunter, License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)
BNSF Approaching Lift Bridge, Galveston Causeway

I wonder what those new I-45 causeways cost. It doesn't look very crowded. I assume the traffic level depends on tourist season and hurricane evacuations.

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I've remembered that concrete was a bleeding edge construction material at the beginning of the 20th Century. At four miles long, I wonder if this was the biggest project at the time in terms of the quantity of cement used. The arch strikes me as rather flat. I believe that would generate a lot of horizontal compressive force. That would have the advantages of pre-stressed concrete. Specifically, temporary tensile forces introduced in the structure by waves, etc. would not offset the internal compressive forces so that the concrete would remain in compression. That made me wonder if they could skip adding rebar. No rebar would explain why it has lasted so long even though it doesn't set very high above salt water. But these diagrams show that they did use rebar.

Via Bridge Hunter, Public Domain: Published Prior to 1923
[It looks like each span covered 78'. The 8' pier added to the 70' arch.]

Via Bridge Hunter, Public Domain: Published Prior to 1923
[This explains why there was originally three tracks, one was for interurban. The "County Section" was for road traffic.]