HOUSTON | Beltway 8/Houston Ship Channel Replacement Bridge | 515 FT

[Wattleigh]

1/23/2026 - c/o Max Concrete on HAIF





The bridge now has a name.

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/ship-channel-bridge-richard-tapia-22085843.php

Houston's $1.3B Ship Channel Bridge is now getting a new name
Harris County commissioners voting unanimously on Thursday to give it an identity.

By Ahmed Humble,
Senior Trending Reporter
March 19, 2026

Houston's Ship Channel Bridge, currently in the first phase of a billion-dollar construction project, is set to undergo another major change: its name.

During Thursday's meeting, Harris County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a resolution to rename the bridge after Dr. Richard Tapia, the Maxfield-Oshman Chair in Engineering at Rice University. Tapia also serves as faculty director of the Tapia Center, a Rice-based summer program that helps students in grades 8 through 12 prepare for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

While the renaming may seem esoteric, commissioners emphasized its broader significance for representation in engineering and STEM fields.

The Ship Channel Bridge is currently budgeted at $1.3 billion, according to the Harris County Toll Road Authority, and construction for the main bridge first began in March 2018, but is slated to be completed in 2028.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who presented the request, highlighted Tapia's legacy as both an educator and mentor, urging colleagues to support the measure as a way to inspire future generations of engineers.

"There is no more fitting name for this major structure than a titan of engineering, math and science," Garcia said as he presented the item."Dr. Tapia has made an extraordinary impact, not just on his field of study, but on generations of future scientists, mathematicians and engineers, especially for the Hispanic community."

A UCLA graduate, Dr. Tapia has authored more than 100 research papers, and received several national accolades including the including the National Medal of Science from President Barack Obama. He also made history as the first Hispanic person elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He was present for Thursday's vote and reflected on his decades-long career and personal background in remarks before the court.

"I've been at Rice for over 50 years, 55 years, " he said. "I'm a mathematician and I've tried very hard to be as good a mathematician as I could be but I never forgot who I was. My mother and father are so proud of being Mexican, but they're also extremely proud of being American."