The world's biggest ships will be able to fit under the new Harbor Bridge, which is now on a fast track for completion by 2020. Actually, with 205 feet of vertical clearance, the current Harbor Bridge would fit nicely under the new one. Construction on the $700 million bridge would have to begin as early as next year to meet that time frame, which is possible now that state transportation commissioners have started the process of hiring contractors.
At a meeting in Laredo on Thursday, commissioners from the Department of Transportation agreed to publish in March a request for qualifications from potential contractors. The accelerated process makes the bridge one of less than a dozen projects statewide allowed to move forward under what is called a design-build contract. That means that construction can progress on some parts of the bridge while designers work on other parts. Design-build not only speeds up the process, it saves money.
The current proposal calls for a cable-stayed design of concrete supported by weather-resident cables connected to towers. The Fred Hartman Bridge over the Houston Ship Channel uses a similar design, but is not as big as the new Harbor Bridge will be. The Harbor Bridge's longest span will measure 1,600 feet compared to the longest span of 1,250 on the Fred Hartman.
Transportation commissioner Jeff Moseley said he hopes designers will consider working in environmentally sensitive details. The bridge could be used to harvest and recycle rain water, collect solar energy and use efficient LED lighting.
“It seems like while we’re building a world-class structure that we would want to embrace all the amenities that would make it a green structure,” he said at the meeting.
