The Galveston-Bolivar Ferry
Why can’t we build a bridge between Galveston & Bolivar?
Dive into why building a bridge connecting Galveston and Bolivar isn't as easy as it sounds with the video below!
Welcome to Galveston Unscripted!
We’re covering the Galveston Bolivar Ferry to answer one of the most asked questions around the island: why isn’t there a bridge connecting Galveston to Bolivar?
Galveston is a beautiful and unique island located off the coast of Texas, and the Galveston Bolivar Ferry is a key way to get from the island to the Bolivar Peninsula. But can the ferry be the only way to get from one island to the Bolivar peninsula? Many people have asked why there isn’t a bridge connecting Galveston to Bolivar. The answer is complicated, and it has a lot to do with the three major ship channels it would have to span: the Galveston, Houston, and Texas City ship channels. Not only would a bridge have to span these channels, but it would have to be extremely tall and long to accommodate the increasing size of cruise ships coming into the port of Galveston and the massive vessels that travel to the ports of Houston and Texas City.
The sheer size of these ship channels mean that any bridge connecting Galveston and Bolivar would have to be extremely long and tall, and the cost of such a bridge would easily rack up to a billion dollars. Maintenance costs would also be extremely high, and any construction or maintenance of the bridge would cause delays to the already busy vessel traffic in the area. Which would detrimental for one of the major economic drivers of Texas.
The answer to the question of why there isn’t a bridge connecting Galveston and Bolivar is complicated and expensive, and it isn’t likely to change anytime soon. The ferry is currently the best way to get from one island to the other, and it looks like it will stay that way for the foreseeable future.
