Baytown Tunnel
Encyclopedia
The Baytown Tunnel or Baytown – La Porte Tunnel was a two-lane underwater motor-vehicle tunnel
connecting Baytown
and La Porte
, two suburbs of Houston
, Texas
. Completed in 1953, it traveled northeast-southwest underneath the Houston Ship Channel
and had a length of 4110 feet (1,252.7 m). It was closed to vehicular traffic in 1995 with the opening of the Fred Hartman Bridge
, and subsequently demolished beginning in 1997 in order for the Army Corps of Engineers to deepen the channel in 1998.
The Fred Hartman Bridge had been designed to replace the Baytown Tunnel (of depth clearance 40 feet (12.2 m)), which had to be removed when the Houston Ship Channel
was deepened to 45 feet (13.7 m), with a minimum 530 feet (161.5 m) 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
.
by the state for an annual fee of $1.
The tunnel consisted of prefabricated sections that were sunk into place on the floor of the channel. The completed facility had a diameter of 36 feet (11 m) complete with a 1 inches (25.4 mm) steel shell with 2 foot (0.6096 m) of concrete lining. The actual roadbed inside was flat with a ventilation shaft running beneath its surface.
It served as a connection between State Highway 146
and State Highway 225
on the south to State Highway 146
and Spur 201 to the north. By the 1970s the tunnel had exceeded its capacity of 25,000 vehicles a day and in 1986 the Texas Department of Highways and Public Transportation awarded a contract for its replacement with an eight lane cable stayed bridge. With the closure of the tunnel occurring in 1995, a clause in the original tunnel permit issued by the corps called for the Department of Transportation
to remove the facility if it became unused or abandoned.
By 1997 a proposal was made to dismantle the unused facility in 350 feet (106.7 m) long sections, float them down the channel and sink each section in 100 feet (30.5 m) of water at the Freeport Liberty Ship Reef in creating an artificial reef
for marine wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico
. This plan was scrapped due to both high costs in addition to the process resulting in over 50 closures of the channel to complete. The tunnel was removed by 1998 and its former structure would be salvaged as paving aggregate.
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
connecting Baytown
Baytown, Texas
Baytown is a city within Harris County and partially in Chambers County in the Gulf Coast region of the U.S. state of Texas. Located within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, it lies along both State Highway 146 and Interstate 10. As of 2010, Baytown had an population of 71,802...
and La Porte
La Porte, Texas
La Porte is a city in Harris County, Texas within the Bay Area of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 31,880...
, two suburbs of Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Completed in 1953, it traveled northeast-southwest underneath the Houston Ship Channel
Houston Ship Channel
The Houston Ship Channel, located in Houston, Texas, is part of the Port of Houston—one of the United States's busiest seaports. The channel is the conduit for ocean-going vessels between the Houston-area shipyards and the Gulf of Mexico.-Overview:...
and had a length of 4110 feet (1,252.7 m). It was closed to vehicular traffic in 1995 with the opening of the Fred Hartman Bridge
Fred Hartman Bridge
The Fred Hartman Bridge or Baytown Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge in the U.S. state of Texas, spanning the Houston Ship Channel. The bridge carries 2.6 miles of State Highway 146, between the cities of Baytown, Texas and La Porte, Texas...
, and subsequently demolished beginning in 1997 in order for the Army Corps of Engineers to deepen the channel in 1998.
The Fred Hartman Bridge had been designed to replace the Baytown Tunnel (of depth clearance 40 feet (12.2 m)), which had to be removed when the Houston Ship Channel
Houston Ship Channel
The Houston Ship Channel, located in Houston, Texas, is part of the Port of Houston—one of the United States's busiest seaports. The channel is the conduit for ocean-going vessels between the Houston-area shipyards and the Gulf of Mexico.-Overview:...
was deepened to 45 feet (13.7 m), with a minimum 530 feet (161.5 m) 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
Texas Department of Transportation
The Texas Department of Transportation is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Texas. Its stated mission is to "work cooperatively to provide safe, effective and efficient movement of people and goods" throughout the state...
.
History
Conceived and constructed as a means to improve traffic circulation, the tunnel opened in September 1953 as a replacement facility for the now-defunct Morgans Point Ferry at a final cost of $10 million. The land where the tunnel entered and exited was leased from ExxonExxon
Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
by the state for an annual fee of $1.
The tunnel consisted of prefabricated sections that were sunk into place on the floor of the channel. The completed facility had a diameter of 36 feet (11 m) complete with a 1 inches (25.4 mm) steel shell with 2 foot (0.6096 m) of concrete lining. The actual roadbed inside was flat with a ventilation shaft running beneath its surface.
It served as a connection between State Highway 146
Texas State Highway 146
State Highway 146, or SH 146, is a north–south highway in southeastern Texas beginning in Livingston, starting at US 59 and proceeds south to Liberty, where it meets US 90...
and State Highway 225
Texas State Highway 225
State Highway 225, or SH 225, is an east–west freeway in the Houston area between the Interstate 610 Loop in Houston and State Highway 146 in La Porte. It is identified as the La Porte Freeway over its entire length except for Pasadena where it is called the Pasadena Freeway...
on the south to State Highway 146
Texas State Highway 146
State Highway 146, or SH 146, is a north–south highway in southeastern Texas beginning in Livingston, starting at US 59 and proceeds south to Liberty, where it meets US 90...
and Spur 201 to the north. By the 1970s the tunnel had exceeded its capacity of 25,000 vehicles a day and in 1986 the Texas Department of Highways and Public Transportation awarded a contract for its replacement with an eight lane cable stayed bridge. With the closure of the tunnel occurring in 1995, a clause in the original tunnel permit issued by the corps called for the Department of Transportation
Texas Department of Transportation
The Texas Department of Transportation is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Texas. Its stated mission is to "work cooperatively to provide safe, effective and efficient movement of people and goods" throughout the state...
to remove the facility if it became unused or abandoned.
By 1997 a proposal was made to dismantle the unused facility in 350 feet (106.7 m) long sections, float them down the channel and sink each section in 100 feet (30.5 m) of water at the Freeport Liberty Ship Reef in creating an artificial reef
Artificial reef
An artificial reef is a human-made underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, control erosion, block ship passage, or improve surfing....
for marine wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. This plan was scrapped due to both high costs in addition to the process resulting in over 50 closures of the channel to complete. The tunnel was removed by 1998 and its former structure would be salvaged as paving aggregate.
External links
- Baytown Tunnel, SH 146, and the Fred Hartman Bridge on TexasFreeways.com for historical photos of the tunnel