The $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal is scheduled to be complete April 1, allowing ships carrying nearly three times the load to pass through. It is the first expansion of the canal in more than 100 years.

New locks, which raise and lower vessels from the canal, were finished June 10. Work on the Pacific Ocean locks began in August.

Capital improvement projects at the Port of Houston have included spending $50 million on four new cranes that arrived in May.

The Port of Houston is expected to see a 15 percent increase in       incoming cargo by 2020, and a 150 percent increase—roughly 4.5 million units—by 2030, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

"International trade, primarily containerized cargo, continues to expand rapidly at our facilities,” Port Commission Chairwoman Janiece Longoria said. “More trade means more jobs and economic activity."

A 2015 report by logistics company C.H. Robinson Worldwide suggests more ship traffic may shift from West Coast ports to Gulf and East Coast ports than originally thought when the project was announced. Up to 10 percent of cargo from Asia going to major West Coast ports at Los Angeles, Oakland and Seattle is expected to shift to Gulf Coast and East Coast ports by 2020, the report found.

The expansion is expected to have effects on both business and ground traffic in the Greater Houston area. A TxDOT report found the canal expansion will be a boon to Houston businesses—particularly in the natural gas, coal and agriculture sectors—that will have the ability to export more goods through the port.

Keith Vrana, chairman of the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce transportation committee, said an increase in the use of rail to transport freight could impact mobility at major intersections. He emphasized the importance of developing commuter rail to help improve mobility.

However, he said ongoing highway transportation projects in Cy-Fair should also help minimize any increase in ground traffic the canal may bring.

“With the completion of the Grand Parkway and improvements on Hwy. 290 underway, Cy-Fair is positioned for huge growth,” he said.