Rainbow Bridge (Texas)

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Westbound approach to Rainbow Bridge in Orange County, Texas. Veterans Memorial Bridge is on the left.
Westbound approach to Rainbow Bridge in Orange County, Texas. Veterans Memorial Bridge is on the left.
Westbound approach to Rainbow Bridge in Orange County, TX.
Westbound approach to Rainbow Bridge in Orange County, TX.
Looking at Rainbow Bridge on its northwest side in Port Arthur, Jefferson County, TX.
Looking at Rainbow Bridge on its northwest side in Port Arthur, Jefferson County, TX.
Driving westbound on the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Jefferson County, TX.
Driving westbound on the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Jefferson County, TX.

The Rainbow Bridge is a cantilever bridge crossing the Neches River in Southeast Texas (29.9805 -93.8703) just upstream from Sabine Lake. It allows State Highway 87 and State Highway 73 to connect Port Arthur in Jefferson County on the southwest bank of the river with Bridge City in Orange County on the northeast bank.

Construction on the bridge began in 1936 under the guidance of the Texas State Highway Department. Due to concerns by the upstream city of Beaumont about the bridge posing a threat to ship navigation, the Rainbow Bridge was built with a 680 foot (210 m) main span. In addition, it has a vertical clearance of 177 feet (54 m)[1], which was intended to allow the tallest ship in the US Navy, the USS Patoka, passage under the bridge.

The bridge was completed on September 8, 1938. The nearby town of Prairie View took on the name "Bridge City" in response. Initially named the Port Arthur-Orange Bridge, it received its current name in 1957. The bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

The USS Patoka never sailed the Neches River. The Rainbow Bridge remains the highest bridge in Texas [2].

[edit] Veterans Memorial Bridge

In 1988, construction began on the Veterans Memorial Bridge, the first cable-stayed bridge built in Texas since 1890. This bridge runs parallel to the Rainbow Bridge, and was dedicated on September 8, 1990. With a vertical clearance of 143 feet (43.5 m), the bridge is somewhat shorter than its neighbor [3].

After the completion of the Veterans Memorial Bridge, the Rainbow Bridge was closed for renovations. On its re-opening in 1997[citation needed], the Rainbow Bridge became one way, handling southbound traffic only. The Veterans Memorial Bridge serves northbound traffic [4].

[edit] Sources

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U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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