By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
The Pelican Island bridge has needed replacing for a couple decades, but there have been a lot of complications to getting a replacement built.
One complication is that it is not in the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) system. This raises the question of who will fund a new bridge and who will provide for the operations and management of the new bridge.
During the City of Galveston Outlook panel discussion, part of the Galveston Economic Development Partnership’s (GEDP) annual economic summit, Galveston Mayor Dr. Craig Brown and TXDOT, Deputy District Engineer Varuna Singh P.E. shed some light on who will fund the project and offered a timeline for the construction of the new bridge.
Completed in 1960, the current Pelican Island bridge is a bascule, which is a type of movable bridge that operates with two spans that are lifted upward using gears, motors and counterweights. This structure allows for ships to pass in the waterway below the bridge.
The Pelican Island bridge is the only one of its kind still standing in Texas, and it won’t be coming down soon. According to Singh, construction of the new bridge will commence in 2027, and it is estimated that it will take four to five years to complete. This timeline gives everyone who wants to experience driving over a bascule bridge time to make the drive.
Funding details have not been precisely worked out. Since the bridge isn’t in the TXDOT system, another entity must come up with some of the funding. Mayor Brown assured the audience that the city is going to be that other entity. He is planning for the issue to be on the city council agenda before the end of 2024.
Another barrier to replacing the bridge from Galveston Island to Pelican island is that there are numerous permits that need to be acquired before construction can begin. Singh discussed the need to have at least 60% of the bridge design planned before permits can be applied for and then issued.
Permits beyond those required for road construction will be necessary because bridges intersect with marine life and marine traffic. This reality needs to be accounted for in the planning process.
Though all the details are not fully flushed out, the city of Galveston and TXDOT will be working together on the bridge replacement project going forward, both Mayor Brown and Singh assured the audience.
According to Singh, TXDOT is leading the design of the bridge and is working with the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard.
“Right now, we are looking at $240 million to $250 million,” Singh said about the total projected cost of the new bridge.
Some of the funding for the bridge will come from TXDOT.
The City of Galveston will take responsibility for the operation costs of the new bridge.
Plans for the bridge currently include pedestrian sidewalks on each side. The bridge is planned to open as a two-lane road but to be wide enough to restripe as a four-lane roadway, according to Singh.
Mayor Brown expressed enthusiasm for the pedestrian walkway, and he is looking beyond the need for a vehicular bridge.
“Once we get a vehicle bridge, we need a rail bridge, ” Brown said.
If a rail bridge is needed, it seems like maybe there is a possibility of cargo ships docking at Pelican Island. Brown alluded to this possibility when he spoke of the Port of Houston and a master plan for Pelican Island.
From the need for a Pelican Island bridge replacement, the summit moved to discussing the causeway and Galveston’s need for a flyover as vehicles are coming into the city.
The GEDP summit also hosted a panel which covered tourism, the cruise industry and Scholes International Airport.
Galveston Port Director Rodger Rees informed the audience that plans are in the works for a flyover for cruise passengers and other vehicular traffic. It would take traffic from the entrance to Galveston directly to Harborside Drive.
“Just about every major cruise line in the world wants to be represented here,” Rees said. “But that brings up the traffic flow in the city.”
The airport was represented by Mike Shahan. He explained that the airport is in the process of becoming a commercial airport. This process, too, will take some time before it is completed. There is a list of Federal Aviation Administration requirements that need to be met.
Funding for the airport modifications is coming in the form of grants which Shahan explained.
“5.8 million dollars in discretionary grants was brought in by Congressman Weber last year,” Shahan said.
An afternoon panel of staff from the University of Texas Medical Branch focused on the role of artificial intelligence in delivering medical care. The panel also discussed other advances in the field of medicine at UTMB.
The summit ended with Senior Business Economist from the Dallas Federal Reserve Jesse Thompson, who demonstrated the good health of Texas economy by discussing job growth and the good health of the American economy at the macrolevel.
Part of the good health, as explained by Thompson, is due to immigration. When new people come to America they work and spend their income on goods within our communities and they pay taxes into the system.
He explained that for now, many immigrants who arrive as undocumented migrants are applying for asylum status, which would allow them to work the U.S.. But he cautioned that this form of immigration and work status is not sustainable.
According to Thompson, pipeline exports of liquified natural gas and petroleum shipped out of Texas are increasing.
He also reported that companies are right now a bit tentative in spending.
“Because of the word that starts with an E and ends with a tion,” Thompson said as he explained the large business tentative spending.
According to Thompson, big business is waiting to see which person will be elected as the next president of the United States and that they have plans to go forward that match the styles of leadership for both candidates.