Construction on the bridge was on the planning boards by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDoT)as far back as 1962.

The bridge clearance is 135 feet (41 m), which some officials have deemed too low for ships to navigate.

[1] By the time the V-struts supporting the mainspan were put in place, the Port of Houston claimed the struts were an even more dangerous hazard to ships that must veer from the middle of the waterway.

That all changed in December 2000, when a cargo crane struck the bridge, knocking a hole in the concrete deck and damaging a steel beam.

[2] The worst accident, though, happened in May 2001, when a freighter's cargo boom caused severe damage to a girder and put another gaping hole in the span.