Bellaire officials broke ground two months ago on a long-range planning effort for the city's new regional flood mitigation project, known as the Cypress Ditch project. Now, more dirt is being moved as contractors take the first steps toward site demolition.
Latest update
City Manager Sharon Citino said during a July 20 city council meeting that contractors for the project have been mobilized to begin preparing the area, infrastructure and facilities along Beechnut Street for demolition, the first step of the project.
Citino said site preparation includes removing the dirt and landscaping materials south of Beechnut Street first before contractors remove the buildings and work their way north to remove the vacant car wash facility nearby. This portion of the project is expected to take approximately three months, city officials said.
"We are officially moving dirt on what will be our south detention ponds," Citino said. "So we are super excited to see that work progressing."
According to a July 20 update, the removal includes the installation of silt protection for nearby storm drains during the demolition process.
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The Cypress Ditch project is a flood mitigation project that city officials have been planning for years to help reduce flooding in Bellaire during heavy rain events. The project involves building a south and north basin to temporarily store excess stormwater runoff, as well as widening channels to expand the ditch's overall stormwater capacity by roughly 60%, per prior reporting.
During the first half of the year, city officials finalized several interlocal agreements to meet their goal of dirt moving on the project in 2026.
"We held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Cypress Ditch Regional Flood Mitigation Project in May, and we’re now actively clearing more than 13 acres recently acquired from Houston," Mayor Gus Pappas said. "Work is officially underway. We committed to breaking ground in 2026, and we’ve delivered on that promise."
Construction for the south basin detention pond is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027, according to prior reporting.
