Project Overview
The Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge project was a $1 billion upgrade of the city’s 1,661-foot span across its ship channel. The Texas Department of Transportation commissioned the project after recognizing the need for safety and transit improvements as early as 2003. Originally planned to open in 2021, the new bridge project experienced a series of delays due to engineering and environmental challenges but opened to the public in 2025.
The Challenge
(All photos on this page from the Harbor Bridge Project)
The concrete bases of the Harbor Bridge cover an area the size of two basketball courts, and the support columns are more than 500 feet high. It is the tallest structure in South Texas. The concrete challenges of this project basically boiled down to scale and environment:
- 130 tons of pre-cast concrete, spread over 2,600 bridge segments
- Near-constant temperature control was needed to buffet against high humidity and extreme temperatures that threatened structural integrity of the concrete.
Projects of this scale often use expensive cooling tubes to maintain ideal concrete temperatures. Initially, the joint contractors overseeing the project installed cooling tubes at a significant cost. However, after discovering NITROcrete, the contractors were able to remove the tubes and save millions of dollars.
The Solution: NITROcrete
Not only did NITROcrete’s revolutionary concrete-cooling solution save the Harbor Bridge contractors millions, but it also helped avoid concrete-related construction delays in extreme conditions and helped ensure the final structural stability of the bridge.
NITROcrete benefits:
- Effective cooling solution even as ambient temperatures rose
- Allowed contractors to cool concrete at point of placement, leading to six-figure savings from removal of cooling tubes
- Successful reduction in temperature differentials that prevented thermal cracking
Results: Cooler Concrete, Even in Extreme Conditions
With NITROcrete’s solutions in place, the Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge project experienced fewer concrete delays and was able to maintain structural integrity at a lower cost point than if cooling tubes had been used throughout. Importantly, NITROcrete achieved this amid extremely hot and humid conditions, indicating the system’s continued efficacy even in the harshest of environments.
These extraordinary advantages are why NITROcrete is the preferred choice for the Harbor Bridge project and other high-stakes construction projects around the world. Contact us today to learn more about NITROcrete’s applications in large-scale construction!
About NITROcrete™
NITROcrete is the world leader in concrete temperature control. In 2012, what started as a jobsite problem for a partner evolved into a solution that is revolutionizing the concrete industry. The team listened, tested, developed prototypes, and made adjustments. Then they listened more, tested more, and in 2017, after 5 years of R&D, they introduced NITROcrete, a comprehensive concrete solution born directly out of the concrete industry.
The largest concrete companies in the world now use NITROcrete to simplify their processes, streamline their operations, and grow their bottom lines. NITROcrete provides a comprehensive concrete solution–cooling, system management, and support–which gives its worldwide industry partners unmatched efficiency, control, and peace of mind. Learn more or reach a sales rep today!