GALVESTON, Texas — Travel on the Pelican Island Causeway Bridge remained limited on Thursday, a day after a barge struck it.
On Thursday morning, Galveston Police said they were letting one car at a time use the bridge to evacuate the island. The bridge connects the north side of Galveston Island just west of the Port of Galveston with the south side of Pelican Island. It's the only road on and off Pelican Island.
The U.S. Coast Guard said they finally stopped the vacuum oil leak from the barge on Wednesday night.
There’s an apartment complex near the bridge that police said might not be fully evacuated and they can’t force anyone to leave. The good news is the power has been restored to the island.
Barge hits bridge Wednesday morning
It happened just before 10 a.m. Wednesday. Crews from the Texas Department of Transportation went to the scene to assess the damage. The bridge remained closed until it was deemed safe to use. City officials said there were no reported injuries.
Around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, one lane of the causeway reopened, allowing those who were stranded on Pelican Island to leave, but around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the bridge was once again closed down after officials said it started to shift. A line of cars was stuck on the island and officials said they were working to come up with an evacuation plan.
Around 9 p.m. Wednesday, officials said evacuations were once again underway, but slowly and carefully.
Power was temporarily interrupted to Pelican Island, which is home to Texas A&M University at Galveston.
Aerial views from Air 11 showed that a part of the train trestle that runs along the bridge had collapsed.
City officials said Harborside Drive was open to east-west traffic but drivers wouldn't be able to turn north toward Pelican Island from 51st and Harborside. Galveston police officers detoured traffic.
Galveston County Judge Mark Henry said the bridge was in bad shape before Wednesday's incident and had a dismal rating from TxDOT.
“It’s old. It’s 64 years old by our guess and need of replacement, it should’ve been replaced years ago but it hasn’t been yet," Henry said.
His primary concerns were getting those stuck on the island off and cleaning up what’s spilled into the water.
“The fuel oil seeping into the intercoastal waterway caused them to shut down the intercoastal waterway, so we want to get that cleaned up so we can open again as fast as we can," he said. "The power went out in all of the stores and apartments and the schools over there.”
Elizabeth Garcia was able to get off the island before the bridge was shut down.
“I’ve got to go pick up my grandkids at 4 o'clock. I was real worried I wasn’t going to make it," she said.
Even though she had to wait several hours to leave, she wasn't going to be among those forced to stay on the island.
Joshua Martinez and his girlfriend Preston were turned away Wednesday evening when they tried to walk across the bridge to get back on the island. He's a bartender on Pelican Island and Preston goes to Texas A&M at Galveston and lives there. Preston told KHOU 11 News she is worried about her cat stuck inside her apartment.
Intracoastal Waterway closed in Galveston
While vehicle traffic was halted on the bridge, it also stopped vessels in the water.
Emergency officials said Martin Petroleum owns the barge that hit the bridge and the U.S. Coast Guard arrived to assess the extent of the oil spill.
As of about 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Coast Guard officials said the oil leak on the barge had been stopped.
The leak caused the closure of a section of the Intracoastal Waterway on Wednesday from Mile Marker 350.5 to Mile Marker 357 -- approximately 6.5 miles.
Texas A&M University at Galveston
Pelican Island is home to Texas A&M University at Galveston. University officials are assessing the impact on campus.
University officials said Captain’s Landing was open and available for dining needs for those stuck on Pelican Island.