Rainbow Bridge

The rapid growth of the petrochemical industry in Jefferson and Orange counties in the early 20th century increased population and transportation needs, leading in the 1920s to plans for a bridge across the Neches River. Because of the depressed economy and disagreements among business leaders, the seven-year campaign to build it, led by the Port Arthur "News" and American Legion Post No. 7, moved slowly until 1934, when Gov. Miriam A. Ferguson signed a special law allowing county bond and Federal Public Works Administration funds to pay for state highway bridge construction. Project engineer G. G. Wickline used innovative techniques to design a bridge crossing 7,742 feet of marshy terrain and river bottom, with a 680-foot central span built to clear a Navy ship carrying a moored dirigible and a 176-foot elevated roadbed that was the world's highest over tidal waters. The bridge cost $2,750,000, its dedication on September 8, 1938, drew huge crowds as a major local event, and in a 1957 contest sponsored by the North Port Arthur Lions Club it received the name Rainbow Bridge.

Port Arthur, Texas · United States