The recently awarded maintenance dredging project for the Brazos Island Harbor (BIH) Jetty and Entrance channels in South Texas is about to begin, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District.
Weeks Marine Inc. won this $6.5 million contract and will perform maintenance dredging of the BIH Jetty and Entrance channels.
The contractor is required to remove approximately 651,000 cubic yards of sandy material using a pipeline dredge to clear the navigation channels; all sandy material will be used beneficially to nourish South Padre Island beaches.
“ Our partnerships with the City of South Padre Island and the Texas General Land Office, and their instrumental cost-sharing participation, will allow the Corps to conduct the largest beach nourishment project undertaken at South Padre, providing multiple benefits with lasting impacts on the South Texas economy ,” said Seth Jones, an operations manager with the USACE Galveston District’s Navigation Branch.
According to Jones, the Brazos Island Harbor deep draft navigation project consists of a 42-foot deep by 300-foot wide by and approximately 23 miles long channel; extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the Port of Brownsville and Port Isabel.
“ The Port of Brownsville is ranked 69th in the nation with respect to commercial tonnage (5.6 million tons total in 2012), ” said Jones. “ The major commodities moved through the port include: petroleum products, ores and minerals, steel and other metals, vegetable oils, and grains.”
Work is scheduled to begin in October 2015 with an estimated completion date of February 2016.