A familiar piece of the South Texas skyline in Corpus Christi is slowly disappearing, and nearby drivers are feeling the impact.
Crews working on the Harbor Bridge replacement are continuing the careful demolition of the old span, and that work has prompted road closures on North Beach, according to MySA.com.
Officials with the Harbor Bridge Project announced that Bridgeport Avenue will be partially closed through May to allow demolition and restoration work to continue safely. Signs and message boards have been installed directing drivers to use Breakwater Avenue as a detour.
The original Harbor Bridge first opened in October 1959 and served as a key crossing over the Corpus Christi Ship Channel for more than 60 years. For decades it was one of the most recognizable landmarks in the region, connecting downtown Corpus Christi with North Beach and providing clearance for large ships traveling to and from the port.
That chapter ended in September 2025, according to project officials, just months after the new Harbor Bridge opened to traffic in late June of the same year. The replacement structure is a modern cable-stayed bridge designed to handle heavier traffic, improve safety and support hurricane evacuations for residents along the Coastal Bend.
The new Harbor Bridge was also named No. 1 on Roads & Bridges’ 2025 Top 10 Bridge Awards, recognizing its design and impact.
Since the old bridge was taken out of service, crews have been dismantling it in stages. One of the most dramatic parts of that process came in late October when workers lowered the bridge’s center span onto a barge waiting in the ship channel below.
The careful operation took several hours and required coordination with marine traffic so shipping activity at the Port of Corpus Christi was not disrupted.
Demolition continues piece by piece to protect workers, nearby neighborhoods and the busy waterway. Concrete and steel from the structure are being removed and either recycled or hauled away, officials said.
For residents and visitors to North Beach, the partial closure of Bridgeport Avenue serves as a reminder that the old bridge is truly coming down. While detours and changing traffic patterns are inconvenient, many see this period as the final step in a long-running transformation of the region’s transportation infrastructure.
Sources: MySA, Harbor Bridge Project
