No. 1 Bridge: Building Opportunity Over the Port of Corpus Christi

The New Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi, Texas earned first place for its unprecedented design to mitigate the surrounding landscape and traffic flows, culminating in the longest cable-stayed main span in the United States and longest precast segmental span in the world.

In 2016, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) began construction of the bridge, which replaced the aging steel-truss Harbor Bridge that had opened in 1959.

The nine-year project cost $1.3 billion, including $517.3 million for constructing the Cable-Stayed Bridge (CSB).

The project was divided into two phases: the construction of the main cable-stayed unit and the approach bridges, and the second phase focused on the demolition and removal of the original bridge, the final alignment of the roadways.

The monumental undertaking to construct the tallest structure in South Texas was conducted by a consortium of public and private stakeholders, led by its owner, TxDOT, and including the project developer, Flatiron/Dragados, LLC (joint venture), and the CSB engineer of record, Arup-Carlos Fernandez Casado (joint venture).

Joseph Briones, P.E., TxDOT deputy district engineer, described the project as an example of engineering excellence.

“The connection and meeting of the two spans within a fraction of an inch shows the amount of precision, care and expertise taken with the design and construction of the bridge,” he said.

With approximately 30,000 daily commuters, the Harbor Bridge connects downtown Corpus Christi to Rincon Point on U.S. Route 181.

The new structure features bike and pedestrian paths, as well as a 10-foot shared-use path that protects cyclists and pedestrians from vehicles. The bridge also is outfitted with six mainlanes that are protected by four shoulders.

The height of the former bridge did not accommodate post-Panamax cargo ships, which are too large for the Panama Canal. This hampered the Port of Corpus Christi’s ability to compete with other deep-water ports. But the new bridge’s increased vertical navigational clearance of 205 feet will serve as an economic boost to the area.

The New Harbor Bridge’s construction with precast segmental concrete box-girders and modern materials coupled with a rigorous corrosion protective plan gives the new bridge an expanded service life of 170 years, a time far exceeding that of standard bridges — an achievement considering its exposure to the surrounding harsh marine environment. To better fortify the bridge, it’s pylons and associated foundations were constructed outside of the waterway, providing ground-based access to the pylons, simplifying maintenance procedures.

Contractors worked around a TxDOT requirement that bridge segments could not be delivered or lifted from the shipping channel to avoid disrupting waterway commerce.

The team elected to utilize a ground-based crane to hoist each of the 698 precast superstructure segments to the bridge deck, where they were temporarily stored, and then transported along the southbound box-girder via the self-propelled modular transport.

A derrick crane was used to install the segments when they reached the staging area at the cantilever tip. This process of placing segments and delta frames, pouring median slabs, and installing stay cables was repeated in 19 cycles on each of the upper towers.

Despite the project’s constraints, unwavering collaboration and cutting-edge engineering transformed the vision of the New Harbor Bridge into reality in June 2025—a landmark that will stand as a testament to innovation and serve motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists for generations to come.

Justo Molina, a project executive at FDLLC, said the project’s legacy will be teamwork and collaboration.

“It was truly remarkable to witness how the extensive months of design coordination across all parties culminated in a seamless execution, with the bridge responding exactly as predicted during alignment and jacking,” he said.

Project name: U.S. 181-New Harbor Bridge

Location: Corpus Christi, Texas

Owner: Texas Department of Transportation

Designer: Arup and Carlos Fernandez Casado (S.L. design joint venture)

Contractor: Flatiron/Dragados, LLC (FDLLC)

Cost: $1.3 Billion

Length: 3,295 feet

Completion Date: June 28, 2025