Purple Heart Bridge reopens, congestion should ease

Workers begin to remove concrete barriers on the Purple Heart Memorial Bridge across the Neches River on Wednesday evening. TXDOT expected to open the new westbound lanes overnight. Photo taken Wednesday 9/12/18 Ryan Pelham/The Enterprise less Workers begin to remove concrete barriers on the Purple Heart Memorial Bridge across the Neches River on Wednesday evening. TXDOT expected to open the new westbound lanes overnight. Photo taken Wednesday ... more Photo: Ryan Pelham/The Enterprise Photo: Ryan Pelham/The Enterprise Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Purple Heart Bridge reopens, congestion should ease 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

The commute into Beaumont across the Purple Heart Memorial Bridge should ease up beginning today.

Work crews labored into the night to get the westbound lanes open before rush hour. The change is expected to relieve congestion for the 81,000 daily crossings over the Neches River.

"When we opened the eastbound lanes it really helped with the traffic," Texas Department of Transportation spokeswoman Sara Dupree said.

The bridge is the third built in this location, according to TxDOT. The project, which began in 2012, replaced the old bridge that connected Orange and Jefferson counties.

The work was originally scheduled for completion in fall 2015, but it was delayed three times.