A 1920s era federal Rivers and Harbors Act authorized dredging a channel 25 feet deep and 200 feet wide from the Gulf Of Mexico, through Aransas Pass and on into Hall's Bayou. Dredging was completed and the port was opened, in 1926. The Act also authorized the construction of a 121 foot long, 52 foot wide bascule-type drawbridge. The bridge was built by the Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company. Upon completion it was painted black and coated in grease to inhibit corrosion. Bridge operations were complex, consisting of whistled signals between approaching ships and bridge operators. Every ship transit took 20 minutes or more and stopped vehicular traffic for as many as 30 times each day.