The Galveston District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently received a signed Chief of Engineers Report for the proposed Houston Ship Channel Expansion Project.
The report culminates a four-year, $10 million study conducted by USACE in partnership with Port Houston to identify needed channel improvements, determine economic value to the nation and complete necessary environmental requirements. The signed report recommends adoption of the plan presented by Galveston District in order to support economic efficiency of commercial navigation throughout the Houston Ship Channel system.
"This is a major milestone for this project, for the corps and for the Houston Port Authority," said USACE Galveston District Commander Col. Timothy Vail. "The signature of the chief of engineers says that, after considering all the options, the corps believes this is the best plan to achieve funding and construction. The chief's report will be submitted to the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works for review. Following review, it will then be submitted to Congress for authorization and funding in the next Water Resources Development Act, which is expected to be considered later this year. Once approved by Congress and signed by the president, the Houston Ship Channel expansion becomes a federal project, and we can move on to design and construction."
As the nonfederal sponsor of the Houston Ship Channel, Port Houston initiated the project nearly 10 years ago. Since then, it has worked in close collaboration with USACE Galveston District to develop and accelerate project completion, accommodate the increasingly larger vessels in the world's fleet and ensure channel improvements are in place for future growth. Known as "Project 11," the current effort represents the eleventh major expansion in the Houston Ship Channel's history.
"The Houston Ship Channel project is needed now more than ever," said Port Commission Chairman Ric Campo. "Providing infrastructure to keep the flow of diverse and essential products moving, as well as building the foundation for economic opportunities in the future, is a fundamental role of Port Houston. We have gone beyond the minimum requirements of a nonfederal sponsor, using our own resources to design, build and fund urgently needed components of the project."
The chief's report recommends a comprehensive plan that includes modifications to the 50-mile-long Houston Ship Channel system, including easing bends, widening the bay reach of the Houston Ship Channel to 700 feet, and widening the Bayport Ship Channel and Barbours Cut Channel to 455 feet. Modifications to the bayou reach of the Houston Ship Channel would include deepening from Boggy Bayou to the Main Turning Basin, with selective widening between Boggy Bayou and Greens Bayou.
The project will also provide environmental benefits by using material dredged during channel construction to create over 400 acres of tidal marsh and bird island habitat and approximately 377 acres of oyster reef in Galveston Bay.
For more information, visit www.expandthehoustonshipchannel.com.
