GALVESTON, Texas (July 31, 2014) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District awarded a contract in the amount of $2,664,500 to Orion Marine Group for maintenance dredging of the channel to Victoria in Calhoun County, Texas.
The contractor is required to remove approximately 458,000 cubic yards of dredged material from the lower reach of the channel to Victoria barge canal beginning August 2014 with an estimated completion date of October 2014.
“This dredge work allows the Corps to fulfill its mission of providing safe and navigable waterways for vessels importing and exporting goods to and from the Port of Victoria,” said Christopher Frabotta, chief of navigation for the USACE Galveston District. “All dredge material from this contract will be placed in upland confined placement areas.”
According to Frabotta, the Port of Victoria is ranked 78th in nation with respect to commercial tonnage (4.5 million tons total in 2012).
“A sharp increase in tonnage was realized in 2012 with further growth in 2013; from 2.8 million tons in 2011 to 7.5 million tons in 2013,” said Frabotta. “This increase is attributed to crude oil exports from the Eagle Ford Shale formation, through the Port of Victoria, to regional and national refineries at Corpus Christi, Houston, Port Arthur and Louisiana.”
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 270 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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