The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District awarded a $20.9 million contract Tuesday to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, LLC for maintenance dredging of the Galveston Entrance, Outer, and Inner Bar Channels and Houston Ship Channel Bolivar Roads to Redfish Reef, Texas.
“ The contractor is required to remove approximately 2.4 million cubic yards of shoaled material from the channel using a trailing suction hopper dredge. Up to 700,000 cubic yards of beach-quality sand harvested from this project will be used to renourish Babe’s Beach west of 61st Street in Galveston ,” said Tricia Campbell, USACE Galveston District project manager .
The Corps’ Galveston District is partnering with the Texas General Land Office and the Galveston Island Park Board of Trustees to conduct the beach renourishment project.
The renourishment project called ‘beneficial use,’ employs environmentally and economically responsible ways to use dredged materials to benefit local communities explained Campbell. It allows USACE to improve eroded coastlines through the placement of dredged material.
Approximately $8 million of the total contract costs are related to the beneficial use beach placement.
“ These type of projects are invaluable to a local community like Galveston as it leverages federal projects with local and state funds to implement sound regional sediment management practices. This project will enhance critical habitat, recreational opportunities and protect the Seawall against future storms ,” said Reuben Trevino, Director of Operations at the Galveston Island Park Board of Trustees .
“ The Beach Nourishment Project is an economically responsible dredging project that will repair Babe’s Beach eroding coastline ,” said Kevin Frenzel, CEPRA Program Manager with the Texas General Land Office.
According to Campbell, work is scheduled to begin in August 2019, with an estimated completion by January 2020.