Wikipedia

San Luis Pass (Galveston Island)

(Redirected from San Luis Pass-Vacek Toll Bridge)
Not to be confused with San Luis Peak.

San Luis Pass is a passage of water on the Texas Gulf Coast of the United States. It connects the sheltered waters of West Bay to the open Gulf of Mexico between Galveston Island and San Luis Island.

San Luis Pass
Inlet
San Luis Pass at Brazoria and Galveston counties
San Luis Pass Coast Chart, ca. 1853
San Luis Pass is located in Texas
San Luis Pass
San Luis Pass
San Luis Pass is located in the United States
San Luis Pass
San Luis Pass
Coordinates: 29°04′57″N 95°07′18″W / 29.0824652°N 95.1215959°W / 29.0824652; -95.1215959 (San Luis Pass)
Location
Part ofWest Bay
Offshore water bodiesGulf of Mexico
Dimensions
 • Length2.25 mi (3.62 km)
 • Width.75 mi (1.21 km)
 • Depth10 ft (3.0 m) ~ 40 ft (12 m)[1]
 • Drop40 ft (12 m)
Topo mapAOL. "San Luis Pass, TX" (Map). Mapquest. AOL.
GNIS feature ID
Road NavigationFarm to Market Road 3005

Fishermen and swimmers have been killed in the Pass' treacherous waters.[2][3] The Gulf of Mexico-West Bay pass transitions vast volumes of seawater. The San Luis Pass physical oceanography is essentially contributed to the aggressive Gulf Stream and loop current, fluctuating tides in marginal sea, and marine sediment. The marginal sea's ocean circulation is periodically redefining the coastal continental shelf subsequently reciprocating uncertainties of continental margin at Follet's Island and West Galveston Island.

The San Luis Pass-Vacek Toll Bridge spans San Luis Pass from Galveston County to Brazoria County.

Characteristics

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Tide levels can vary by almost 2 feet in height, although the tidal effects seem more pronounced along straits than other barrier island zones. Water current dangers are prominent up to about one mile away from the pass along either island. A high amount of drownings occur in the vicinity of the San Luis Pass compared to other areas off of nearby beaches.[4] Until June 2013, about 10 people drowned near San Luis pass on the Galveston side since 2001,[4] and of those about 6 drowned there since 2007.[5] The depth of the pass varies in depths to 40 feet deep.[1]

Tides cause daily variations in topography, and occasionally, storms more drastically change the topography of the pass.

Fishing and recreation

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As of August 2017, swimming and fishing are now illegal at San Luis Beach due to the high number of drownings.[6][7][8]

Pier fishing on the San Luis Pass Pier was a favorite for visitors and locals alike for many years, however the beach and pier were wiped out during Hurricane Ike in 2008, and it was not rebuilt. The pass is also home to bank fishermen who often travel many miles to take advantage of the excellent redfish population from June thru October.

Overnight camping, while once allowed, is prohibited on the Galveston side of the pass. The San Luis Pass Camp Ground and county park, on the Brazoria County side, is the only accessible place now.[9] At least from the Galveston Island side, entering the water is prohibited, because of safety hazards.[4][10]

Hurricane Ike in September 2008, forever changed the topography of the beach. What was once a driveway and public beach access is now part of the Gulf of Mexico. The land where the bait house of the pier once stood is now permanently submerged.

San Luis Pass on the Galveston side is a place for bird watching.[11]

San Luis Pass-Vacek Toll Bridge

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The "San Luis Pass-Vacek Toll Bridge" or San Luis Pass Bridge was built shortly before 1970.[12] It is operated by Galveston County, Road District 1.[13] This 1.3 mile bridge has two lanes[13] and has a toll fee of $2. Surfside Beach is the closest city on the other side of Galveston along Brazoria County Road 257. The east approach to the San Luis Pass Bridge also serves as the western terminus of FM 3005. As of 2024, the bridge is the only toll crossing in the Houston Metro that continues to collect cash and does not utilize electronic toll collection.

 
San Luis Pass Bridge spanning San Luis Pass from the Brazoria County side.

Station San Luis and U.S. Life Saving Service

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In 1878, the United States Life Saving Service Act authorized the creation of a coastal life saving station near the strait of San Luis Pass.[14] The Station San Luis endured seventy years of coastal service at the west coastline of Galveston Island. The 1949 Texas hurricane delivered a tropical cyclone with an assailable gale and storm surge fatally damaging the San Luis shoreline station. The United States Life-Saving Service discontinued the waterborne search and rescue service by 1950.[15]

San Luis

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Across the strait from Galveston, San Luis was an island until 1885, when the strait Little Pass closed.[16] It is now a part of Follet's Island that was once called the Velasco Peninsula.[17][18]

San Luis, Texas was an abandoned establishment that once had a population of 2,000 after 1836.[16] As of 1989, about 20 people inhabited this area.[16]

The San Luis Pass County Park is on this location.[9]

San Luis Pass at Follets Island and Galveston Island
 
San Luis Pass at Gulf of Mexico and West Bay
 
Galveston Island with illustration of San Luis Pass

References

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  1. ^ a b Leatherwood, Art. "SAN LUIS PASS". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
  2. ^ Rice, Harvey (June 27, 2013). "New Warnings Posted at Deadly San Luis Pass". The Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications, Inc.
  3. ^ Garza, Stephany (June 30, 2017). "County Officials Post New Signs Warning Residents of San Luis Pass' Death Toll". The Facts. Brazosport Facts.
  4. ^ a b c "Learn Galveston County's deadliest and safest areas to swim". The Daily News Galveston County. June 14, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
  5. ^ "Galveston Island drownings since 2007". The Daily News Galveston County. June 14, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
  6. ^ Callahan, Erinn (July 26, 2017). "County Likely to Put Restrictions on San Luis Pass". The Facts. Brazosport Facts.
  7. ^ Callahan, Erinn (August 9, 2017). "County Bans Swimming, Fishing in San Luis Pass". The Facts. Brazosport Facts.
  8. ^ "County of Brazoria, Texas to Prohibit Entering the Waters of the San Luis Pass". County of Brazoria, Texas. Commissioners Court of Brazoria County, Texas. August 8, 2017.
  9. ^ a b "San Luis Pass County Park". Brazoria County. Archived from the original on 2013-03-22. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  10. ^ "San Luis Pass and West End Beaches". Galveston Island Beach Patrol. Texas Beach Safety.org. Archived from the original on 2013-06-16. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  11. ^ "Great Birding from and on Galveston Island, Texas". Galveston.com. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  12. ^ Benton; Snell. "Coastal Processes: GALVESTON: AN AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF A POPULATED BARRIER ISLAND" (PDF). National Science Foundation; University of Florida. Retrieved 2013-06-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ a b "Office of Highway Policy Information". FHWA Dot. Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  14. ^ "Life Saving Service Act of 1878 ~ P.L. 45-265" (PDF). 20 Stat. 163 ~ Chapter 265. USLaw.Link. June 18, 1878.
  15. ^ "Station San Luis, Texas". Coast Guard Station #218. United States Coast Guard.
  16. ^ a b c Jones, Marie Beth. "San Luis, TX". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  17. ^ "Follet's Island". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  18. ^ Leatherwood, Art. "San Luis Island". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.
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