Galveston Causeway

Constructed by the County of Galveston and a consortium of private railway companies in 1909-1912, the Galveston Causeway was the first successful nat bridge to span Galveston Bay and represents the first reliable transportation and communications link with the mainland. The 1912 Causeway has helped to integrate insular life at Galveston with that of the mainland since its construction and has provided the people of Galveston with a constant supply of fresh water via the 30-inch water main safely encased within the concrete causeway. (The 1900 hurricane had destroyed this valuable lifeline and the city was without fresh water for several days.). Thus the 1912 Causeway was a welcomed and appreciated addition to Galveston. In 1912, Galveston was one of the South's major ports and the central distributing point for an enormous district in the West and Southwest. But only one single-track trestle bridge connected the city with the mainland, thereby greatly restricting commerce. However, the new causeway, with room for six standard gauge railroad tracks, two electric interurban tracks (with room for two more), and a 40-foot wide county road served to alleviate the transportation and communications problem and gave an impetus to commerce and industry that was far-reaching in its effect. The importance of Galveston as a port and trade center was maintained. The completion of the 1912 Galveston Causeway prevented commercial repercussions which would have been felt at the national level. Likewise, the economic status of Galveston and of the State of Texas was much enhanced by the increased flow of transportation and communications which had a direct impact on the expansion of commerce and industry.

While it is true that other causeways of the type found at Galveston were erected along the Gulf Coast, none of these were so important to the welfare of the city and state which they served as was the Galveston Causeway. The Galveston Causeway was also unique in that the Scherzer rolling lift bridge built at its center to give clear passage to ships was, in 1912, the largest structure of its kind in the world. The 1912 Causeway stands as a tribute to the people of Galveston in their recovery from a seemingly hopeless situation following the hurricane of 1900.

Constructed in 1909-1912, the Galveston Causeway has since that time been in constant use except for a period between 1915 and 1922 when portions of the Causeway, the earthen approaches, were washed out by a storm in 1915. For two years the Galveston Causeway remained inoperable. The intact concrete and draw sections mockingly stood by themselves in the center of the bay. A temporary wooden railway trestle, hastily erected, served as the only link to the mainland. Reconstruction work on the Galveston Causeway continued from late 1917 to early 1922 at which time the structure returned to normal service. Since 1922 the Causeway has served with only brief interruptions as a continuous link between the city and county of Galveston and the mainland of Texas.