TxDOT says the existing lift bridge has met its structural design life.
Pelican Island access
The bridge serves Texas A&M Galveston, waterfront employers, and emergency services.
The Seawolf Parkway bridge is the only road connection between Galveston and Pelican Island. It serves Texas A&M University at Galveston, emergency access, shipyards, port-related industry, and the people whose work depends on a reliable crossing.
Video transcript
Video, captions, and transcript.
Open captions are built into the video. A separate English captions track and reviewed transcript also make the briefing available without sound.
Review the verified factsRead the full video transcript
- Maintain the bridgeIf this bridge has to serve Pelican Island for another fifteen years, we can't wait to make a plan. We've got to maintain it and preserve it and keep it working until a replacement actually opens.
- Visible conditions deserve attentionOur footage shows a long crack in a concrete support, chipped concrete, and corrosion on steel. That deserves attention. The public deserves a transparent and recent engineering report, but as of this moment, one isn't available to us.
- Prepare and keep a public recordWe need to maintain the bridge and be ready for emergencies and keep a public record people can follow to see where the money is spent and in case the worst should happen.
- Tell people what is changingWhen work's delayed, you deserve to know why. When conditions change, the Navigation District has a duty to tell people quickly.
- Basic answers about the only roadResidents, workers, Texas A&M Galveston, businesses, and emergency crews should have easy access to basic answers about their only road connection.
- Careful work, clear communicationUnanswered questions aren't a reason to panic, but they are a reason to demand that we do the work carefully, communicate clearly, and be accountable.
- Use the office's real authorityOne commissioner doesn't replace engineers or maintenance professionals, but a commissioner can direct them by asking hard questions, keeping the responsible parties at the table, and insisting on follow-through.
- Report back to the publicAnd they can report back to the public. Until now, that's been sorely lacking. That's why Jonathan Hale is running for Navigation District No. 1, because the most expensive thing we can do is nothing.
What the public record shows
The current bridge still needs maintenance.
Replacement planning does not remove today's responsibility to inspect, repair, and prepare for emergencies.
It is the only way on and off Pelican Island for everyday travel and emergency services.
TxDOT is leading a proposed new-location fixed-span replacement with public partners.
The bridge plan
Maintain the current bridge and keep the public informed.
A single Navigation District commissioner does not control TxDOT's design, district operations, or every funding decision. Jonathan will listen first, review verified records, work with the other commissioners and public partners, and support practical action the public can track.
Maintain today's crossing
Support inspection, corrosion control, painting, monitoring, documented repair planning, emergency readiness, and continuity work that cannot wait for a replacement.
Work with the agencies responsible for the bridge
Support a standing working relationship among the agencies and institutions responsible for access, design, funding, permitting, safety, and operations.
Make district information easier to find
Support a searchable public record of agendas, meeting outcomes, budgets, audits, filing receipts, project status, accurate contacts, and opt-in notices so residents do not have to reconstruct the district's work themselves.
The district should maintain the current bridge, explain its work clearly, and protect the working waterfront.
Jonathan will listen first, review the facts, and respect the limits of the office. He will not promise decisions that belong to TxDOT, other commissioners, or partner agencies.
Read Jonathan's bridge article