As part of the Project 11 channel improvement to expand the Houston Ship Channel, Port Houston announced it had completed its portion of dredging Galveston Bay.
The port, working in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), said widening the channel through Galveston Bay from 530 feet to 700 feet will allow for a physical transformation of the shipping lane that will improve safety, increase efficiency and grow economic benefits from the channel. Officials said that as vessels continue to grow in length, beam and tonnage, the widened Galveston Bay will help keep the facilities that rely on the channel competitive and dynamic into the future.
“We commend the incredible Port Houston team, our bipartisan federal and local delegations, and our industry and federal partners for their collaboration and capacity to see clearly the importance of this vital gateway to our nation and ensure its ability to safely sustain and grow international trade,” Port Commission Chairman Ric Campo said. “This collaborative achievement is truly a testament to the hard work of all the individuals involved in the project and reminds us of the importance of the Houston Ship Channel to the nation.”
While the port’s portion of the project is now complete for navigation, some aspects of the project remain under construction, including marsh areas that are being built with the dredged material. Officials said all Project 11 dredged material will be used to construct environmental features, to the extent possible. Those features will include 10 acres of bird islands, 276 acres of marsh, and 324 acres of oyster reefs.
The 52-mile-long Houston Ship Channel serves more than 200 private facilities and eight public terminals. USACE recognizes the channel as the busiest waterway in the U.S. handling approximately 12 percent of the nation’s total waterborne tonnage. The channel supports 3.37 million jobs nationwide and generates more than $900 billion in annual economic activity in the United States.