13 Alert Traffic: Fred Hartman Bridge NB lanes reopened following emergency expansion joint repairs

BAYTOWN, Texas (KTRK) -- Great news for commuters in the Baytown area! The repairs along the Fred Hartman Bridge have concluded, and the lanes impacted have been reopened.

The city said in an update on Wednesday that emergency repairs in two northbound lanes of the bridge over the Houston Ship Channel would continue overnight. The city added that the repairs would hopefully be completed in time for Thursday morning's commute.

The video above is from a previous report on when lanes were still closed.

Thursday morning officials said all lanes were back open, reminding drivers to continue driving safely.

The lanes were first blocked around 2 p.m. Tuesday due to expansion joint issues. SkyEye video from above the scene showed growing backups during the afternoon rush. At one point, delays were over an hour.

ORIGINAL REPORT: 13 Alert Traffic: Northbound lanes of Fred Hartman Bridge blocked due to roadway damage

The Harris County Precinct 8 Constable's Office shared images on social media Tuesday showing a damaged expansion joint on the roadway.

Expansion joints are the long strips you see between sections of road on a bridge. They allow the concrete to move without cracking in conditions like extreme heat.

This is not an uncommon issue. ABC13 has covered at least three other instances of broken expansion joints on bridges across the Houston area this year.

TxDOT said they are always inspecting roadways and looking for damage year-round. They said they urge the public to let officials know if anything looks off or structurally unsound.

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