Spanning the Trinity

Here's some great news for those of you who travel between Beaumont and Houston...

Sign crew are hanging the new signs and workers are putting the final touches on the new I-10 bridge crossing the Trinity River in Chambers County. That means come Friday, eastbound drivers will be traveling over a new bridge. It's the end of a four-year project to replace the old steel structure that had become an I-10 landmark.

The project really involved building two separate structures: one to carry eastbound traffic and the other to handle westbound motorists. About two years ago, Williams Brothers, the project contractor, completed one of the bridges and temporarily converted it to handle east and westbound traffic. They then began the long process of removing the old bridge to build another.

But come Friday morning, highway crews will have restriped the bridges to handle traffic. One will handle three lanes of eastbound traffic while the other will handle three lanes of westbound. But it's more than just a new bridge; It's a major milestone in improving I-10 between Louisiana and Houston.

Crews will also restrip the Old and Lost River bridge to handle three lanes of traffic. This means you will now have at least six lanes of highway between Winnie and Houston.

This leaves just two areas of I-10 needing rebuilding; the stretch between Winnie and Beaumont, and, the section between Adams Bayou in Orange and the LA state line. Designers are already working on the plans. However, the big problem on these two efforts is money.

In the meantime, enjoy the new six-lane highway. For all of you who have had to endure congestion and lane closures, you've earned it.

Marc S.