Due to concerns by the upstream city of Beaumont about the bridge posing a threat to ship navigation, the Rainbow Bridge was built with a 680-foot (210 m) main span.

However, the height of the bridge did allow the construction of jack up offshore drilling rigs at the Bethlehem Beaumont Shipyard.

The nearby town of Prairie View took on the name "Bridge City" in response.

[5] It involved replacing pavement, repainting the ironwork, and repairing the supports.

[6] With a vertical clearance of 143 feet (44 m), the bridge is somewhat shorter than its neighbor and has 640-foot-long (200 m) main span .