Goodbye to this iconic Texas bridge: Corpus Christi’s beloved Harbor Bridge faces its final days

For more than 60 years, the Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi, Texas, has been a defining landmark on the Gulf Coast skyline. Opened on October 23, 1959, the massive steel structure once held the record as the city’s longest bridge. Now, that era is drawing to a close.

Starting this fall, demolition crews will begin carefully dismantling the bridge, a process expected to stretch into 2026. The goal: to make way for a modern replacement that’s designed to be safer, stronger, and better suited for the decades ahead.

How the demolition will unfold

Flatiron/Dragados LLC, the construction firm in charge of the project, hasn’t given a specific start date yet. But company representatives confirmed that the first step will be lowering the bridge’s massive steel truss onto a barge floating beneath it.

“Currently, we are mobilizing multiple crews and equipment onto the old Harbor Bridge deck and performing ground operations beneath, near the ship channel,” said a spokesperson for the company speaking to Chron. “Initial staging and engineering preparations will be underway over the next month.”

The plan calls for the structural supports to be removed first, followed by the pedestrian walkway, which will require cranes due to the complexity of the job.

Timeline and challenges ahead

If all goes as scheduled, the bridge removal will be completed by spring 2026. Still, weather could throw the timeline off track. Gulf Coast storms — and even hurricanes — are a constant factor that crews must take into account.

Protecting marine life during demolition

Beyond the engineering challenges, officials are also focused on safeguarding the local environment. The Texas State Aquarium, located near the bridge, is coordinating with demolition teams to ensure marine animals aren’t harmed during the process.

“We’re treating it almost like a hurricane,” explained Jesse Gilbert, the aquarium’s president, in an interview with KIII-TV. When demolition begins, they’ll be moving the dolphins out of the area, Gilbert said, explaining that dolphins are very sensitive to dust, and its their priority is to protect them.

The Harbor Bridge may be coming down, but its legacy as a Corpus Christi landmark won’t soon be forgotten. For locals, the demolition marks the end of an era — and the beginning of a new one.

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