Welcome to the Houston-Galveston Navigation Channel Project Online Resource Center

The Houston-Galveston Navigation Channel Project Online Resource Center is your online source for information regarding the deepening and widening of the Houston and Galveston Ship Channels.

Here you will find the history of the projects, maps of construction areas, construction schedules and more. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District
E-Mail --paswg@swg02.usace.army.mil
Phone -- (409) 766-3004 FAX -- (409) 766-3049
Write: Public Affairs Office, P. O. Box 1229, Galveston, TX 77553-1229

History of the Houston-Galveston Ship Channel Project

The Houston-Galveston Navigation Channel Project is an ambitious program to improve both Houston and Galveston Ship Channels to accommodate today's larger ships and to enhance navigational safety in the channels.

Several years of planning have produced a project that deepens and widens the Houston Ship Channel, and deepens the Galveston Channel. Both channels presently have an authorized depth of 40 feet. The project will bring the shipping lanes to an authorized depth of 45 feet with a minimum 530 foot bottom width.

To address the environmental concerns expressed about the proposed project, an Interagency Coordination Team (ICT) was formed in December 1989. Members included, in addition to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Galveston Bay Estuary Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas General Land Office, Texas Water Development Board, Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission, Port of Houston Authority and the City of Galveston. ICT advisors included the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Southwestern Division, Waterways Experiment Station (Corps of Engineers), Institute for Water Resources (Corps of Engineers), Office of the Governor of Texas, Texas Historical Commission, Galveston-Texas City Pilots Association, Houston Pilots Association, Galveston Bay Foundation, and the Texas Waterway Operators Association. The team united environmental and government agencies in the discovery of the effects of the project upon the environment of Galveston Bay. Its purpose was to develop the environmental documentation that would fully address these concerns. Toward this effort, eight different areas were studied:

1. 3-dimensional Hydrodynamic and Salinity Model Study
2. Ship Navigation Simulation Model Study
3. Contaminants Study
4. Oyster Model Study
5. Beneficial Uses of Dredged Material Study
6. Oyster Reef Study
7. Cumulative Impacts Study
8. Benthic Recovery Study

The Interagency Cordination Team was so successful in this project that it was used as a model for problem solving in the environmentally sensitive Laguna Madre area in south Texas.

The Limited Reevaluation Report (LRR) and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) on the Houston-Galveston Navigation Channel Project received no negative comments from any agencies, due to the work of the ICT. The Chief of Engineers Report agreed with the findings of the LRR and SEIS and was approved on May 9, 1996.

The project was authorized for construction on October 12, 1996, by the Water Resources Development Act of 1996.

Project construction began with the receipt of Construction General funds in October 1997. The Project Cooperation Agreements with the Port of Houston Authority was signed June 10, 1998. The project divides into nine separate dredging contracts plus one contract for mitigation and three for grass planting.

For additional information regarding the project, read the Houston-Galveston Navigation Channels Fact Sheet.

Project Cooperation Agreement

The project cooperation agreement is a document that is signed by the local sponsor and the Federal government. It identifies how the project will be cost-shared and who is responsible for the different items during the life of the project.

The project cooperation agreement with the Port of Houston Authority was signed on June 10, 1998 in Washington, D.C. The Project Cooperation Agreement with the City of Galveston has been put on hold until a source of funding for construction can be identified.

ICT - Subcommittee Studies

To address all the environmental concerns, subcommittees were formed to oversee the studies proposed by the ICT and to assure that the studies addressed all the concerns expressed for that particular study. The subcommittees prepare a report of their findings and make a recommendation to the ICT. The ICT then acts on the recommendation of the subcommittee. The findings of the subcommittees, in most cases, are now being finalized and will be summarized in the Limited Reevaluation Report and the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement presently being prepared by the Corps of Engineers, Galveston District. The present status of the subcommittees is as follows: 

1) Hydrodynamic and Salinity Model Study - A three-dimensional model has been developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station (WES). There was considerable concern that a deeper channel and its associated disposal methods would impact circulation patterns in the bay which would lead to bay stagnation and increased salinity. The ICT determined what data to input, the criterion for design, and the output of the data developed by the model. The deeper channel means that more salt water would migrate up the channel. WES was able to show the effects of salinity and circulation changes.

2) Ship Navigation Simulation Model Study - This study is to model the most efficient channel design and alignment for the proposed project. The study has been completed and two reports prepared by WES (Hewett, 1994; Webb and Daggett 1994).

3) Contaminants Study - This study evaluated the contaminant potential of maintenance material from the proposed project. The virgin material to be dredged was assumed not to have contaminant problems. The evaluation of the channel was divided into three reaches, upland, bay, and offshore. Chemical analyses, bioassays, and bioaccumulation tests have been completed. Based on the evaluations and results of the tests, the Contaminant Subcommittee concluded that there are no contaminant concerns with the material to be dredged from the channel. The subcommittee recommended to the ICT that the material was acceptable for beneficial use. The ICT has approved their recommendation to use the dredged material.

4) Oyster Model Study - This numerical modeling effort models the life cycle of the oyster. The model was developed by Texas A&M University and Old Dominion University (Norfolk, Va.) and is coupled with the Hydrodynamic and Salinity Model. The model study evaluated the impact of the proposed channel improvements to oysters and identify the appropriate sites for the mitigation areas. One hundred eighteen acres of Oyster reefs are to be built as mitigation areas for oyster beds discovered on the sides of the existing channel.

5) Beneficial Uses of Dredged Material Study -This study investigated all possible uses for the dredged material. The Beneficial Uses Group (BUG) Subcommittee was headed by the Port of Houston Authority, the local sponsor. The BUG has developed a dredged material plan for the bay and offshore reaches. This plan puts all the material dredged from the channel to a beneficial use or into confined upland sites. The ICT has approved the BUG plan as the disposal plan for the project.

6) Oyster Reef Study - This study was originally planned to size oyster reefs as part of the mitigation for salinity intrusion because of the deeper channel. A demonstration project for oyster reef construction was accomplished by the Galveston Bay National Estuary Program in conjunction with the Port of Houston Authority, U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Houston Lighting and Power Company. This study was quite successful and oysters grew to market size in 18 months.

7) Cumulative Impacts Study - This study addressed the cumulative impacts to the bay from the channels in the area. In the past, impacts to the bay have been addressed by each project, but not as a cumulative impact.

8) Benthic Recovery Study - This study evaluated what unconfined dredged material impacts would have on the bay bottom. Two experimental disposal mounds were constructed, one in the upper bay and one in the lower bay. ERDC has been monitoring these mounds on a periodic basis to see how quickly the dredged material mounds would recolonize. After 18 months, no difference could be determined between the constructed mounds and near-by reference sites.

The overall performance of the ICT process has been outstanding. The agencies, which participated in the process, have worked very hard to identify the appropriate procedures needed to address all the concerns originally identified following the Feasibility Study. This process has provided a greater insight to all those involved as to the overall project design/requirements and has given everyone a chance to have their ideas included. The ICT continues to be an active, viable organization with its members disseminating project information throughout their respective agencies. The ICT process will continue throughout the life of the project as agreed by its member. This process may serve as a way to handle all future controversial projects.

Fact Sheet for Houston-Galveston Navigation Channel Project

CONSTRUCTION, GENERAL

PROJECT NAME AND STATE:  Houston - Galveston Navigation Channels, Texas

AUTHORIZATION:  Section 101(a)(30) WRDA 96 and Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act of 2001, Section 1(a)(2) of P.L. 106-377 (Barge Lanes).

SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL DATA                       CONSTRUCTION

Estimated Federal Cost                          $520,035,000

Estimated Other Federal (Coast Guard)               4,268,000

Estimated Non-Federal Cost                        180,927,000

Cash      $147,500,000

Credit    $ 22,398,000

Other     $ 11,030,000

Total Estimated Project Cost                    $705,230,000  

Allocation thru FY 2003                         $218,915,000

Allocation for FY 2004                             27,434,000

Budget Request for FY 2005                         18,000,000

Balance to Complete After FY 2005               $255,686,000¹

Amount that could be Used in FY 2005               29,000,000

¹Includes $194,648,000 for deferred construction of environmental restoration sites

LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION:  The navigation project is located in Galveston Bay, Texas, in Chambers, Galveston and Harris Counties, near the cities of Galveston and Houston. 

PROPOSED ACTIVITIES FOR FY 2004:  Construction on Goat Island (Contract #6), Mid Bay (Contract #5) and the Lower Bayou (Contract #8) will be completed.  The plan for construction and the PCA for the Galveston Channel (Contract #2) will be continue to be developed.  The Plans and Specifications for the Lower Bay Grass Planting (Contract #3A), Barge Lanes (Contract #11), Barge Lane Mitigation (Contract #12), Offshore Maintenance and Morgans Point to Lost Lake Maintenance Contracts and construction will be started.

ISSUES AND OTHER INFORMATION: There are two items of interest that impact the project.  The first is a decision by the Corps to use permit and navigation servitude authorities to compel facility owners to remove 90 pipelines/facilities that are impacted by the widening and deepening of the channel. The second involves the evaluation of the amount of in-kind credit the Port of Houston Authority will be given.  The District Engineer has been delegated the authority to evaluate the credit.

LOCAL SPONSOR:  City of Galveston (Port of Galveston) and Port of Houston Authority.

CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST: Senators Cornyn and Hutchison, (TX) Congressmen Lampson (TX-09), Brady (TX-08), Lee (TX-18) Bell(TX-25), and Green (TX-29)

                                                       Dated:  March 20, 2004

Map of the Houston-Galveston Ship Channel Project

This $705 million dollar project deepens the Houston and Galveston Ship Channels from the existing 40-foot depth to 45 and widens the present 400-foot bottom width to 530 feet. The entrance channel extends from Bolivar Roads to 14.4 miles offshore and will have a minimum width of 800. The Galveston Ship Channel will be deepened to 45 feet, but it's channel already has sufficient width.

The cost is being shared by the federal government and the local sponsors, the Port of Houston Authority and the Port of Galveston. Additional costs are being borne by owners of an estimated 90 pipelines crossing the channel, all of which have been removed or lowered to a greater depth because of the channel deepening.

The Houston Ship Channel, serving the nation's second largest port (177.6 million tons of cargo in 2002 and first in foreign commerce, 115.2 million tons) is responsible for some 200,000 jobs.

The schedule for construction will complete the initial dredging in October 2004.  It began in October 1998.

There are nine dredging contracts planned for the widening and deepening project. Two will construct the channel from Bolivar Roads into the Gulf (approximately 14.4 miles), one will construct Galveston Channel (approximately 3.8 miles), three will construct the channel across the Bay (approximately 26.0 miles) and three will construct the Bayou Channel (approximately 13.9 miles) which ends at Boggy Bayou. The three Bay Contracts account for construction of marsh cells that, over the 50-year economic life of the project, will construct 4,250 acres of marsh. A bird island approximately 6-acres in size has been constructed in the lower Bay.

The last section of the Baytown Tunnel was removed September 14, 1999 from the Houston Ship Channel. Removal of the tunnel was the responsibility of the Texas Department of Transportation.

The project construction will follow a similar construction sequence as that proposed in the construction schedule with the exception of the dredging of the Galveston Channel.  The Port of Galveston is presently looking for ways to meet its share of the construction cost.

The Project will also have deferred construction. This deferred construction will consist of the construction of additional marsh cell levees to be dredged later in the project (approximately years 2020, 2030 and 2040) to provide additional capacity to the three marsh sites located in the bay.

There are presently 90 pipelines identified which do not meet the clearance requirements for the authorized 45-foot channel and must be moved. The owners of the pipelines were notified by letter shortly after the Project Cooperation Agreement was signed. These pipelines have been removed at the owners cost as authorized by the Congress in the Limited Reevaluation Report and Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement in the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 with the use of navigation servitude. Should the owners elect to replace the pipelines, a new or modified permit will be required from the Corps of Engineers. Location and number of pipelines are noted by the circles on the pipeline relocation map.

The following is a list of some criteria that should be considered in preparing your operational planning for both removing and relocating pipelines. This list is not all-inclusive and a Corps of Engineers permit is required for all removals and relocations. Additional information may be found on the Internet at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District Homepage (http://www.swg.usace.army.mil) or at the Port of Houston Authority Homepage (http://www.portofhouston.com).

• A Corps of Engineer permit is required if a pipeline is to be abandoned, replaced or relocated.
• All plans should be presented to Corps of Engineers for approval. You may contact John Davidson by phone at (409) 766-3933 or in writing at: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch, ATTN: John Davidson, P.O. Box 1229, Galveston, Texas 77553. The Fax number for the Regulatory Branch is (409) 766-3931.
• Public review of removal plan may be required.
• Pipelines should generally be placed perpendicular to the centerline of the channel.
• Pipelines to be removed shall be cleaned to avoid any contamination to the environment.
• A pipeline labeled for removal shall be completely removed to appropriate limits outside the channel.
• No closure of channel to vessel traffic will be permitted.
• Minimum pipeline clearance for the 45-foot channel is 20 feet or elevation of minus 65-foot MLT.
• Clearance distances are measured from top of pipeline and/or any weighted cover placed on top of line.
• Slopes of the pipeline beyond the bottom toe of the channel cannot begin its slope upward closer than 50-foot from the bottom of the channel.
• The slope of the pipeline can be no steeper than the side slope of the channel template.
• Dredged material removed from top of pipeline shall be replaced in the trench from which it was removed, unless otherwise approved approved.
• Appropriate entity (Port of Houston Authority/Port of Galveston/Corps of Engineers) can be contacted to request the use of existing disposal facilities for disposal of dredged material.
• The Coast Guard requires lighting on floating pipeline during removal or placement.
• Coast Guard shall be notified when working near or in the channel by calling (409) 766-3687.
• Schedule for removal must be coordinated with the Area Engineer for the Northern Area Office, and that office shall be notified 30 days prior to start of work by calling (409) 766-6313. Once work is commenced, the Area Engineer should be provided with a verbal report on the progress of work on a weekly basis and a written report on a monthly basis. The mailing address for the Northern Area Office is: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Northern Area Office, ATTN: Area Engineer, P.O. Box 1229, Galveston, Texas 77553. The Fax number for the Northern Area Office is (409) 766-6321.
• Activities authorized under Corps of Engineer permits will be inspected.
• Provide as-built drawings and completion report within 10 days of completing permitted work to both the Area Engineer and the Regulatory Branch. Survey data contained in the as-built shall relate to the Texas State Plane Coordinate System for horizontal control and NAD 83, NGVD for vertical control. If as-builts are not in accordance with permitted plan, a brief description listing deviations must be furnished.
• All pipelines shall be identified and markers shall be placed on both sides of channel (50 feet outward from the channel side slope at 0.0 MLT). Markers shall be maintained by the owner in a legible condition with owner's name and contact number and updated as necessary until the pipeline is removed.
• Pipeline corridors should be utilized whenever possible.
• Pipeline corridors should be no wider than 150 feet.
• There must be 1050 feet between corridors.
• If the natural bottom is deeper than 20-foot below the authorized project depth, pipelines shall be placed a minimum of 5-feet below the natural bottom. Pipelines or cables shall be placed at the greatest depth which meets project requirements over the entire channel bottom width plus a distance of 50 feet on each side of the channel measured from the bottom edge of cut and perpendicular to the centerline.
• Pipelines or cables in high mounds (out of water) shall be 10 feet below the surface of the mound.
• Pipelines or cables in upland disposal facilities shall be placed 5 feet below the natural existing ground and 10 feet below the base of any levee.

*SWGOM 1145-2-15

Memorandum
No. 1145-2-15

14 May 1998

1. PURPOSE. To outline the policies and practices of the Galveston District in connection with issuance, inspection, reporting, and cover requirements for pipelines and cables, authorized by Department of the Army Permits for deep draft channels. Refer to 33 C.F.R. Parts 320-330 for the complete text of the regulations for the regulatory program of the Corps of Engineers.

2. AUTHORITY. The navigation servitude is the long established common law principle which encompasses the public's right of free use of all streams and water bodies for navigation despite the private ownership of the bottom or shoreline. In addition to the power to exercise the navigation servitude, the main statutory authorization for the Department of the Army permit program is provided by Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, and Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Reserve and Sanctuaries Act of 1972.

A. Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act prohibits the unauthorized obstruction or alteration of any navigable water of the United States. The construction of any structure, the excavating or depositing of material, or the performance of any other work affecting the course, location, condition, or capacity of any navigable water is unlawful unless authorized by a Department of the Army permit. Navigable waters of the United States are defined as those waters that are subject to the tide and/or are presently used, or have been used in the past, or may be susceptible for use to transport interstate or foreign commerce. For a more precise and complete definition, refer to 33 C.F.R. 329.

B. Section 404 of the Clean Water Act regulates, through the issuance of Department of the Army permits, the discharges of dredged or fill material into the waters of the United States at specified disposal sites. Waters of the United States means all navigable waters and all other waters such as lakes, rivers, streams, mud flats, sand flats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds whose use, degradation, or destruction could affect interstate or foreign commerce. For a more precise and complete definition, refer to 33 C.F.R. 328.

C. Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 regulates the transportation of dredged material by vessel or other vehicle for the purpose of dumping it in ocean waters.

3. APPLICABILITY. To all District personnel who review applications for Department of the Army permits and who inspect and report on work performed under authority of the permits.

4. TYPES OF PERMITS

A. Individual Permits are permits, which have been evaluated through the public interest review procedures, including a Public Notice. Another form of individual permit is the Letter of Permission. This form of authorization does not require a Public Notice. Letters of Permission are issued for work which is considered minor or routine and which is unlikely to have significant impacts or objections.

B. General Permits.

(1) Regional Permits are a type of General Permit, which are approved by the District Engineer for certain types of work for a specific region. After a Regional Permit has been issued, individual activities falling within those categories that are authorized by such a General Permit require only limited or no coordination with State and Federal resource agencies. A listing of General Permits are maintained by the Regulatory Branch.

(2) Nationwide Permits are a type of authorization issued for nationwide application for certain specified activities. If certain conditions and management practices are met, the specified activities take place without the need for an individual or regional permit. A listing of all Nationwide Permits, conditions, and management practices is maintained by the Regulatory Branch.

5. REVIEW OF PUBLIC NOTICES. District elements, including area engineers, are responsible for reviewing public notices for proposed activities impacting Federal projects located within their areas of responsibility. Comments in response to the public notices should be submitted to the Regulatory Branch. A lack of response will be interpreted as meaning that there is no objection to the proposed project.

6. INSPECTIONS OF PERMITTED WORKS.

A. Regulatory Branch personnel take reasonable measures to inspect permitted activities, as required, to ensure that these activities comply with specified terms and conditions of the permit. The District Engineer encourages all other District personnel, members of the public, and interested State, local, a other Federal agency representatives to report suspected violations of Corps permits.

B. The as-built drawings shall provide a complete profile of the pipeline/cable, as constructed, between the federal projects' right-of-way (ROW) to clearly show top of pipe/cable elevations, as referenced to National Geodetic Vertical Datum, to the nearest half of a foot. In addition, the as-built drawing shall provide state plane coordinates for the intersection of the pipeline/cable with the two right-of-way boundaries and the channel's centerline. As-built drawings shall be certified by a professional engineer or surveyor registered in Texas.

7. RECORDS. The Regulatory Branch is the official records keeper for all Department of Army permits for the District. District elements that need permit records will request copies of such records from the Regulatory Branch.

8. CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS

A. General

(1) When Galveston District is considering the widening and/or deepening of a Federal channel, permit applicants are informed of the proposed Federal project and given opportunity to provide the increased clearance for their proposed pipeline/cable at the time of installation, rather than waiting to alter the position of the pipeline/cable just prior to channel widening or deepening. For operation and maintenance purposes, a channel with an authorized project depth greater than 25 feet below Mean Low Tide shall be considered a deep-draft channel.

(2) Generally, pipelines and/or cables placed beneath a Federal project shall be placed perpendicular to the centerline of the channel. However, if the pipeline is installed by directional boring, and the depth of the pipeline along the bottom width of the channel is at a depth greater than required buried depth, then Regulatory may coordinate with the District elements responsible for navigation, on behalf of the applicant, for permission to install the pipeline at a skew to the channel centerline. Pipeline markers shall be placed on both sides of the Federal channel at the ROW. The warning information on the marker shall be in block print large enough to be read from the channel centerline during daytime under ordinary conditions. Additional information on the marker shall include the name of the pipeline owner and its representative's telephone number for ready contact on a 24-hour basis. The Department of the Army permit number shall also be shown.

(3) Pipeline corridors should be used wherever possible. The corridors shall not exceed 150 feet in width when measured along the centerline of the channel. Pipeline corridors, or individual pipeline crossings, shall not be any closer than 1,000 feet from each other. The minimum depth of any pipe and/or cable specified herein shall be considered as the top of the pipe and/or any anchor or cover required over the pipe.

B. Deep-Draft Channels. Pipelines or cables crossing deep-draft project channels shall be placed a minimum of 20 feet below the authorized project depth of the channel. However, in cases where the natural bottom of the waterway is more than 20 feet below the authorized project depth, the pipeline/cable will be placed a minimum of 5 feet below the natural bottom. Pipelines or cables shall be placed at the greatest depth which meets the above requirements over the entire channel bottom width plus a distance of 50 feet on each side of the channel measured from the bottom edge of cut and perpendicular to the centerline. The pipeline or cable under the channel side slopes shall rise on a gradient no steeper than the theoretical channel side slope.

C. Gulf of Mexico

(1) Pipelines and cables placed in the Gulf of Mexico, except in Fairways and Anchorage Areas, shall be placed at a minimum of 3 feet below the Gulf bottom. Pipelines and cables placed in Gulf waters, including fairways, deeper than 200 feet need not be buried. In the fairways, pipelines and cables shall be placed at a minimum of 10 feet below the Gulf bottom.

(2) Pipelines and cables placed in Gulf of Mexico Anchorage Areas shall be placed a minimum of 16 feet below the Gulf bottom.

(3) Pipelines and cables placed in Federal project disposal areas in the Gulf of Mexico shall be placed a minimum of 3.0 feet below Gulf bottom.

D. Overhead Utility Line Crossings. Utility lines over navigable waters of the United States shall provide a minimum of 10 feet above clearances required for bridges in the vicinity. Greater clearance will be required if the public interest so indicates. If no bridges exist in the vicinity of the crossing, clearances, which would be required by the U.S. Coast Guard for new bridges, will be applicable. In cases where a bridge is located at or near a proposed utility line crossing, the line may be attached to bridge provided that it is above the low clearance of the bridge. Additional safety clearances are required for aerial electric power transmission lines crossing navigable waters of the United States. The clearances are based on the low point of the line under conditions which produce the greatest sag.

Nominal System, Voltage, kv	Minimum Additional Clearance (Feet) Above
					That Required for Bridges
115 and below				20
138					22
161					24
230					26
500					35
700					42
750-765					45

(CESWG-CO-R)

FOR THE COMMANDER:

s/John K. Bember, Jr.
JOHN K. BEMBER, JR.
Chief, Information
Management Office

DISTRIBUTION:
A,B,C,D,E
2-CESWG-CO
1-CESWG-IM-S (Original)
__________________________________________________________

*This Office Memorandum supersedes GDR 1145-2-15, 27 January 1972

View the Project Construction Schedule.

Luhr Brothers, Inc., has completed the contract for construction of 118 acres of oyster reef in mid-Galveston Bay near the Houston Ship Channel. The contractor completed the construction well ahead of schedule. Tests of a reef show that oysters have started to grow in the three months of placement. At the time of testing, the oysters were about the size of a quarter. Once the oysters reach maturity, the public will be able to harvest them.

Dredging was completed on the Jetty and Entrance Channel contracts in March 2000. Dredging was performed by the joint venture of Bean Horizon Corporation/Stuyvesant Dredging Company, Belle Chasse, La., and now, 14.4 miles of channel reaches into the Gulf of Mexico from Bolivar Roads.

Cutter head on the dredge Stuyvesant.	The dredge Stuyvesant at dockside.

Dredging work by Bean/Stuyvesant joint venture began in late July 2000 with work at the Baytown bridge. Levee work at Spillman Island and Alexander placement was done by Affolter and is now complete. In May 2001, work was considered 50 percent complete on the contract. A modification was added to the contract to include dredging Barbours Cut. Being far ahead of schedule on this job, the Dredge Meridian left in April 2002 to start a project for Wilmington District. The dredging is now complete with only some rock work continuing on this contract.

Dredge working near Barbours Cut.

The dredge Millennium owned by Renda Marine, Inc., completed work on the Upper Bayou contract March 31, 2001 after moving nearly three million cubic yards of material.

Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co., using the dredge California, has completed all placement area levees. Renda Marine, Inc., a sub-contractor, completed placing beach fill on the bird island in mid-August 2000. Placement of geotubes around the marsh at Bolivar was completed in late September 2000.

They are here!  The birds have arrived to take over their recently built island--whether the Corps is ready for them or not.		The bird island, built of dredged material, will soon have a beach and plantings.
The electric dredge, the California.		Geotubes are being placed to strengthen the marsh levees.

Weeks Marine has completed all works on the Upper Bay Contract.  Riprap for erosion control has been placed on the exterior side slopes of the levees. Marsh grass has been planted on the interior levee side slopes to cut down on levee erosion on the interior cells.  

A bird's eye view.		Traffic past the disposal area.
A view of the new levee.		Only one of the cells will become marsh during the initial construction. The rest will wait to be filled through routine maintenance.

As part of the Houston Ship Channel Project, a portion of Red Fish Island will be reconstructed.  The final size and shape has now been determined and a contract for its construction will be advertised in the early fall.  The accompanying sketch is NOT an accurate depiction of the island and gives its approximate shape only.

Traffic on the Houston Ship Channel

Because of requests from the users of the Houston Ship Channel, barge lanes are being added to both sides of the improved channel to provide additional safety. The barge lanes are in the design and impacts evaluation stage of planning. The barge lanes will impact 54 acres of oyster reef and the resource agencies have agreed that 54 acres are to be mitigated. The barge lanes and the mitigation reefs will be constructed and in place prior to the completion of the 45-foot deep channel.