GALVESTON, Texas (June 20, 2019) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District awarded a $20.9 million contract Tuesday to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, LLC for maintenance dredging of the Galveston Entrance, Outer, and Inner Bar Channels and Houston Ship Channel Bolivar Roads to Redfish Reef, Texas.
“The contractor is required to remove approximately 2.4 million cubic yards of shoaled material from the channel using a trailing suction hopper dredge. Up to 700,000 cubic yards of beach-quality sand harvested from this project will be used to renourish Babe’s Beach west of 61st Street in Galveston,” said Tricia Campbell, USACE Galveston District project manager.
USACE Galveston District is partnering with the Texas General Land Office and the Galveston Island Park Board of Trustees to conduct the beach renourishment project. The renourishment project called ‘beneficial use,’ employs environmentally and economically responsible ways to use dredged materials to benefit local communities explained Campbell, and allows the Corps to improve eroded coastlines through the placement of dredged material. Approximately $8M of the total contract costs are related to the beneficial use beach placement.
“The Park Board is excited to implement another Beneficial Use of Dredge Material project with our State and Federal partners,” said Reuben Trevino, Director of Operations at the Galveston Island Park Board of Trustees. “These type of projects are invaluable to a local community like Galveston as it leverages federal projects with local and state funds to implement sound regional sediment management practices. This project will enhance critical habitat, recreational opportunities and protect the Seawall against future storms.”
“The Beach Nourishment Project is an economically responsible dredging project that will repair Babe's Beach eroding coastline, said Kevin Frenzel, CEPRA Program Manager with the Texas General Land Office. “The Texas General Land Office places the utmost importance in protecting Texas communities against tropical storms and restoring Galveston beaches for the enjoyment of the community. We are pleased to partner with the USACE and Galveston Island Park Board to restore the coast."
According to Campbell, work is scheduled to begin in August 2019, with an estimated completion by January 2020.
The USACE Galveston District was established in 1880 as the first engineer district in Texas to oversee river and harbor improvements. The district is directly responsible for maintaining more than 1,000 miles of channel, including 250 miles of deep draft and 750 miles of shallow draft as well as the Colorado River Locks and Brazos River Floodgates.
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