Bridges, Tunnels & The Ship Channel
CAR DIED ON A SHIP CHANNEL BRIDGE OR IN THE WASHBURN TUNNEL?Who Clears The Span, And Where We Take Over On Either Side
6 crossings, from the Fred Hartman to the Pierce Elevated. Every one of them has its own patrol that moves you off the span; our job starts at the first safe spot on the feeder or the first cross street on either side. Stranded now? Call (346) 820-0931 and tell the dispatcher which road and which direction.
Why Nobody Fixes A Car On The Span
Freeway mainlanes inside Houston are cleared under the city's SafeClear program and patrolled by the Motorist Assistance Program (MAP), and a second vehicle stopping on a mainlane shoulder is often unsafe or not permitted. Houston's great advantage is that almost every freeway has a frontage road, the feeder, running right alongside it with an exit every half mile or so. So for most freeway calls we meet you on the feeder at the next exit the dispatcher names, a few hundred feet from where you stopped, where a truck can pull in behind you safely.
What that means for you: get off the road at the next exit if the car will move, hazards on, and call. If it will not move, call us anyway and we will tell you who clears that road and where we can take over, before you wait. Jump starts, lockouts and tire changes happen at the meeting point; it is usually a few hundred feet from where you stopped.
Every Bridge, Tunnel And Ship Channel Crossing, And Where We Meet You
Fred Hartman Bridge
Runs: SH-146 over the Ship Channel between Baytown and La Porte, the longest cable-stayed span in Texas.
Stopping: No stopping on the span; TxDOT and Harris County clear disabled cars.
Where we usually meet you: The Spur 330 interchange on the Baytown side or Spencer Highway on the La Porte side.
Area pages: Southeast Houston
Sidney Sherman Bridge (610 Ship Channel Bridge)
Runs: The East Loop over the Houston Ship Channel between the East End and Pasadena.
Stopping: Steep, narrow, no shoulder, constant truck traffic; SafeClear clears it.
Where we usually meet you: Broadway or Lawndale on the north side, Clinton Drive or SH-225 on the south side.
Area pages: Southeast Houston · Central Houston
Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge (Beltway 8 toll bridge)
Runs: The Beltway 8 toll bridge over the Ship Channel between Channelview and Pasadena.
Stopping: No stopping; HCTRA incident response clears it.
Where we usually meet you: The Beltway feeder at Jacintoport or Pasadena Boulevard.
Area pages: Southeast Houston
Kemah Bridge (SH-146 over Clear Creek)
Runs: SH-146 between Seabrook and Kemah over Clear Creek and the boardwalk channel.
Stopping: Steep approaches, weekend beach traffic, no shoulder on the span.
Where we usually meet you: NASA Parkway in Seabrook or FM 518 in Kemah.
Area pages: Southeast Houston
Pierce Elevated (I-45 through downtown)
Runs: The elevated I-45 on the south and west edge of downtown linking the Gulf Freeway to the North Freeway.
Stopping: No shoulder on most of it and the merges from I-69 and I-10 are tight.
Where we usually meet you: Allen Parkway, Memorial Drive, Houston Avenue or Pease Street at the ramps.
Area pages: Central Houston
Washburn Tunnel
Runs: Under the Ship Channel between Galena Park and Pasadena, the only free crossing between the 610 and Beltway bridges.
Stopping: Never stop in a tunnel; Harris County crews push or tow you out.
Where we usually meet you: Clinton Drive in Galena Park or Pasadena Boulevard on the south side.
Area pages: Southeast Houston
Also see the freeways, feeders and toll roads, straight answers to common questions, and every area we serve.