Barge removed, bridge in Galveston reopens after allision

Courtesy Photo: U.S. Coast Guard District 8

The Pelican Island Bridge is open to the public for pedestrian and vehicle traffic with a reduced weight limit after a barge allided last week with the bridge that connects Galveston Island to Pelican Island in Texas.

The Pelican Island bridge is now open, few days after it was shut down because of the barge strike.

There were no reports of injuries or any people in the water.

In a post to X Saturday evening, the Galveston County Office of Emergency Management said the bridge will reopen no later than 9 p.m. to pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

The barge was removed on Friday and the state’s transportation agency has performed its inspections.

The Galveston County Navigation District, which owns the bridge, signed off on its opening.

As it is reported by the US coast guard, “the barge is secured as it was successfully removed from the bridge, and no additional oil discharged during the barge’s removal.”

The US Coast Guard said earlier that it had deployed a boom and additional oil spill assets to respond to the incident.

A statement posted on Sunday on the City of Galveston’s, in Texas, Facebook page said the Pelican Island Bridge is open to vehicular traffic in both directions.

With the barge now removed and the bridge open, the authorities announced the maximum weight limits for various vehicles on the bridge in accordance with an assessment by the Texas Department of Transportation and Galveston County Navigation District No. 1.

According to the City of Galveston, “there are new weight limits for businesses to be aware of.”

The maximum weight for a single axle is 20,000 pounds. The maximum gross vehicle weight is 42,000 pounds, and the maximum weight for a tandem axle group is 30,000 pounds.

TXDOT is installing signs with the weight limit.