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Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems

Lavaca Bay Causeway
Location	Between Port Lavaca and Point Comfort, over the Lavaca Bay
State	TX
Completion Date	1961
Contact Person	Bruce Bayless P.E. District Engineer Yoakum District Texas Department of Transportation Phone: (361) 293-4300 Email: mbayles@dot.state.tx.us
Description	Completed in 1961, the bridge that carries SH 35 across Lavaca Bay is the longest bridge in Texas, spanning 11,900 feet. The bridge contains two 26-foot roadway slabs and a raised 6-foot median, making the four-lane highway a total of 63 feet wide. Precasting occurred on the shore near the construction site. Precast girder, slab, diaphragm, center median, curb, sidewalk, and parapet wall units were precast on shore, barged into position between bents, and then lowered into place hydraulically. Each roadway slab weighed 150 tons.
Photo
Prefabricated Elements	superstructure
Other Keywords	Girder/slab/diaphragm/center median/curb/sidewalk/parapet walls precast and later prestressed as a single unit, precast monolithic beams,precast prestressed deck composite units,prefabricated total superstructure,total superstructure prefabrication
Advantages	Constructibility
Contract Elements	"Lavaca Bay Causeway"
Related Document 1	"Texas' Longest Bridge Dedicated"