Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Queen Isabella Causeway before the collapse | |
| Coordinates | 26°5′11″N 97°11′18″W / 26.08639°N 97.18833°W |
| Carries | 4 lanes of  PR 100 |
| Crosses | |
| Other name(s) | Queen Isabella Causeway |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Concrete pier-and-beam, steel cantilever beam main span[2] |
| Total length | 2.37 miles (3.81 km)[1] |
| Width | 63.3 feet (19.3 m)[2] |
| Height | 80 feet (24 m) |
| History | |
| Construction cost | $12 million[2] |
| Opened | 1974[2] |
| Location | |
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The Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge, formerly the Queen Isabella Causeway, is a concrete pier-and-beam bridge with a steel cantilever main beam span connecting Port Isabel to South Padre Island in southern Cameron County, Texas. The bridge sustains the continuation of Texas Park Road 100 and is the only road connecting South Padre Island to mainland Texas. Stretching 2.37 miles (3.81 km) across the Laguna Madre, the causeway is the second-longest bridge in Texas, after the Fred Hartman Bridge over the Houston Ship Channel.[2] It is named after Queen Isabella of Castile.
The current bridge opened in 1974, replacing a previous bridge that had also been named Queen Isabella Causeway. A central section of the earlier causeway was removed and renamed the Queen Isabella State Fishing Pier. The bridge was severely damaged by a marine allision in 2001; eight people were killed in the accident. It reopened four months later after repairs and installation of a warning system, and was subsequently renamed to the Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge in memory of the victims.