Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge, Cantilever bridge in Harris County, United States
The Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge is a prestressed concrete box girder bridge carrying four lanes of the Sam Houston Tollway over the Houston Ship Channel. Its main span of 228.6 m is flanked by two 114.3 m side spans, and the hollow box girder tapers from 13.1 m deep at the piers to 3.66 m at the cantilever ends. The deck stands 53.3 m above the water.
The bridge opened in 1982 to complete an outer belt highway loop, a project rooted in Houston's mid-century planning documents. It became part of a wider effort to improve transportation routes surrounding the city.
Locals call it the Beltway 8 Bridge, after the ring road it carries, the Sam Houston Tollway, eastern section of Beltway 8. Its 175-foot clearance over the Houston Ship Channel is higher than the older Sidney Sherman Bridge nearby, which keeps the 135-foot New York standard, and close to the 178-foot Fred Hartman Bridge to the east.
Electronic toll payment is the standard method, modernized in 2016 to eliminate cash transactions and improve traffic flow. Planning extra time during peak hours is wise, as this is a busy crossing in the Houston area.
At its 1982 opening the bridge was the longest box girder span in the Western Hemisphere, a record it held until 1997, when the Confederation Bridge opened. Its main span measures 750 feet (228.6 m), with two side spans of 375 feet (114.3 m) each.
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