The Hartman is a cable-stayed bridge. I've crossed several of these including the Ravenel in Charleston and the Margaret Hunt Hill in Dallas and the Sunshine Skyway in Tampa and the Tappan Zee in New York and the Zakim in Boston. Beautiful and cleverly designed, this bridge spans the Houston Ship Channel and joins Baytown and La Porte. It is named for the editor of the Baytown Sun, a local newspaper from 1950 to 1974. It is the longest cable-stayed bridge in Texas. The bridge replaces the Baytown Tunnel that was removed in 1999. There is no toll to cross the bridge. Fun to cross in heavy fog but it all worked out just fine. [Review 854 of 2024 - 609 in Texas - 21884 overall] read more

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7/4/2019 One FUNKY OLE bridge. This bridge STINKS! This bridge smells straight like raw anything. Sometimes it smells like snot, stale pork rinds, burnt hair, luke (however no one else knows the meaning of that), dirty socks though I know all it is, is pollution & chemicals that's offseting it. I'm always driving across this bridge and often have to hold my breath while driving across. The odor is that bad. You'll use this bridge connecting Baytown, to Mont Belvieu and Dayton. I drove across it every morning at 4 am to go to work. 5 years later, the smell has dissipated one day and back another day. Accidents occur on this bridge typically because cars in the far right lane don't merge over until the last minute to rush to meet their exit. read more

Its a big bridge, pretty awesome when you really think about the engineering that went into it. Plus, it definitely beats the tunnel. Overall it gets you over the water...does the job as expected. On clear days quite a view also. read more

I find it comical that we can review the bridge. I'm giving it 5 stars because it's a bridge that does its job. Lol

I love the Fred Hartman Bridge!! Its the bridge to get to our other Cities like Pasadena, Clear Lake, Kemah!! Yes the tunnel was great but I am glad they have this bridge now because it helps the traffic flow much easier!!!! So yes this bridge is very much Appreciated by me!!!!! read more

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I am a fan of Fred. Fred Hartman bridge, that is. I fell in love with this bridge for the first time when we moved down here in 2001. I thought it was the coolest bridge ever, and there was just something about it that I loved. Fast forward thirteen years and all of a sudden, I'm planning on running a half marathon over the darn thing. Hey, love makes you do crazy things! Before the half in November, we decided we needed to do a training run to get past the fear of the unknown. But we had to make sure we took a couple of people that knew how to get around and where to park, as it's not the easiest bridge to run on, unlike Kemah. You park at the public boat ramp, then run along a little road and head up the bridge going south, (always, always run against traffic, especially on bridges), you run and run and run and think "Damn, this is a long bridge...does it ever end?" and then finally, you get up and over, and on your way down. Whew. Then you're running down the other side and woo hoo gravity is awesome again! You have to actually jump over a barrier to get to the frontage road below so you can cross under to go back to run the other side. On the other side, you have to climb up a a little to jump back over a barrier to get back on the bridge. Truly, it's kinda hard to know where to do all this if you're a newbie like me. But then you're heading the other way and holy cow now you're feeling it. Oh yeah, this is a LONG bridge - oh but wait, there's the San Jacinto Monument...that's cool. And then you get to the top and the hard part is over! You do have to run over a flyover bridge to get back down to the road by the boat ramp. And some of the cars do fly across it. So just be aware and be careful. They do go fast on the bridge itself, but there's a wide shoulder, and has four lanes, so plenty of room for people to move over. So just be cautious and be aware. All in all, including getting to the bridge, under the bridge, and back to the boat ramp, I ran 6.02 miles. The half marathon is one full loop so the other 6+ miles is on the flat areas around La Porte. It's not as hard as it looks, but it's not a walk in the park either. But if you want to feel like a badass, then run over this bridge and join that club! There's always room for new members! read more

Fred Hartman Bridge - View from the top during a training run. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Baytown, Texas

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The bridge stayed up when my husband I drove over it. I can say based upon that alone, the bridge is a-ok in my book. I would cross again in the future with no hesitation read more

This is an unusually majestic bridge for a blue collar region connecting two working cities (La Porte and Baytown) in southeast Houston to keep the local economy steaming. Spanning the entry to the bustling Houston Ship Channel, the bridge to allow common road vehicles to traverse without interruption to the crucial maritime traffic that brings goods and services and money into Houston and frankly, the region. Prior to the Hartman bridge existing in 1995, the area was at the mercy of the infamous Baytown tunnel. We're talking about a tunnel that was two lanes that would have back ups for hours during busy times. Or worse, an accident would paralyze the entire area for hours or even overnight if something were to block that key local artery. I remember once as a child they decided to "clean the walls" on a Saturday night. We sat in the same place for hours. Never again. Now we have the bridge. Thank you Mr. Hartman. Mr. Hartman was a local civic leader (publisher of the Baytown Sun) who died just four years before it's completion. His name will live on a proud civil engineering marvel. The bridge itself is a cable stayed masterpiece of engineering, a pleasure to both the eyes and the weight of the huge vehicles and small personal conveyances carrying load or valuable family members through the bustling oil and gas refinery region to their safe abode. The bridge is also popular among runners who seemingly do not mind running up and over steep inclines for no good reason in the heat near the water. Highly recommend trying this bridge. I guarantee you won't drive through a tunnel, nor have it crumble beneath you. It's that good. read more

Ok I know it's a bridge but let me tell you. As someone who used to drive through the Baytown tunnel daily this is an awesome replacement. The Fred Hartman Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in Texas, and one of only three such bridges in the state, It's wide and has plenty of lanes. Traffic always seems to move over it at a high rate of speed with hardly ever a hold up. Being a cable bridge if you ride a bike over it and stop at the top you can feel it sway in the breeze. It truly is something to see and is a testament to good engineering. read more

Fred Hartman Bridge - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Baytown, Texas

One lane closed on the side going into Baytown today. It is still a great work of art not to be missed.

Who remembers sitting in tunnel stoped traffic when they cleaned it on Tuesdays??Yes Fred Hartman bridge makes life much easier. I think when they removed the tunnel the Japanese got it and turned it into a reef. Good to see it was recycled for ocean conservation. read more

Very Pretty bridge ., But if the weather is bad it can get pretty scary.

I love this bridge. As far as bridges go, this one is top notch. The drive to it is great. The drive across it is great and the views from atop are some of the best around! I would definitely recommend driving across this bridge day or night. read more

Awesome bridge... beautiful view... sucks when they do maintenance on it but on the other hand way better then the baytown tunnel back in the day... read more

The bridge is way better than the tunnel ever was, but why does it always smell like something dead?

Magnificent Bridge! I traveled the "Old Baytown Tunnel" for years and years. And I watched this beautiful Suspension Bridge being built over the years while traveling from here to there and living in the immediate area. This bridge totally changed the dynamics of traveling across the Houston Ship Channel when needing to travel to Baytown, Beaumont, Louisiana and all points East. read more