The details
The Gulf Coast Protection District announced Dec. 2 that it had approved two contracts with global engineering firms Jacobs and HDR to design the gates, beaches and dunes portions of the initially authorized $34 billion project, respectively.
Per the agreement, no dollar amount has been awarded for the total design project. Rather, each portion of the project, or “tasks,” will have a specific dollar amount to be agreed upon in the future, GCPD Communications Director Heather Betancourth said.
Betancourth also confirmed the design phase could begin as soon as 2026.
Why it matters
The gates are expected to be the world’s largest flood gate system when built and will be located along the 2-mile-wide waterway between Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula. The dune system will strengthen coastal barriers against storm impact along the Bolivar Peninsula and West Galveston Island, according to a news release.
These contracts mark a significant milestone in moving this historic federal initiative toward construction, the release states.
The backstory
Former President Joe Biden signed the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 into law in December 2022, authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction for the Coastal Texas Project, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.
Quote of note
“We can no longer wait to implement this long-term resiliency strategy, aimed at safeguarding the largest port and petrochemical complex in the nation,” Texas General Land Office Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said in the release.
