Fred Hartman Bridge

Infobox_Bridge
bridge_name=Fred Hartman Bridge

---

image_size=300
official_name=Fred Hartman Bridge
carries=8 general purpose lanes
crosses=Houston Ship Channel
toll=none
locale=south of Baytown, Texas and north of La Porte, Texas
maint=Texas Department of Transportation
id=
design=fan arranged cable-stayed bridge
mainspan=381 meters (1,250 feet)
length=approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles)
width=24 meters (78 feet)Fact|date=January 2008Dubious|date=March 2008
clearance=80.6 meters (262 feet)
below=54.8 meters (178 feet)
open=1995
lat=29.70347
long=-95.01742The Fred Hartman Bridge or Baytown Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge in the U.S. state of Texas. It spans the Houston Ship Channel and carries State Highway 146 between the cities of Baytown, Texas and La Porte, Texas "Baytown Bridge" (photo), Flickr, December 2007, webpage: [] .] "Baytown Bridge (HWY-146)" (angled photo), Rob Benz, 2006, webpage: [http://mappic.org/fullsizePicture.php?pid=3378 Mappic-BBridge] .] (east of Houston).

The bridge, named for Fred Hartman (1908-1991), the editor and publisher of the "Baytown Sun" from 1950 to 1974, is the longest cable-stayed bridge in Texas, and one of only two such bridges in the state "(the other being the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Orange County, TX)". Construction cost of the bridge was $117,500,000.

The bridge replaced the Baytown Tunnel (of depth clearance convert|40|ft|1), which had to be removed when the Houston Ship Channel was deepened to convert|45|ft|1, with a minimum convert|530|ft|1 bottom width, to accommodate larger ships. The last section of the Baytown Tunnel was removed September 14, 1999 from the Houston Ship Channel, with removal of the tunnel being the responsibility of the Texas Department of Transportation. "Welcome to the Houston-Galveston Navigation Channel Project Online Resource Center" (description), USACE, December 2005, webpage: [http://www.swg.usace.army.mil/items/hgnc/ USACE-HGNC] .]

The bridge has had trouble in the past with loosening cables due to water damage.

Notes

Crossings navbox
structure = Crossings
place = Houston Ship Channel
bridge = Fred Hartman Bridge
bridge signs =
upstream = Lynchburg Ferry
upstream signs =
downstream = Baytown Tunnel
(1953-1998)
downstream signs =