First section of Houston Ship Channel expansion complete
The Houston Ship Channel expansion project, also known as Project 11, continues to make significant progress, according to the company's release. Port officials announced that dredging of the first segment extending from Bolivar Roads to Redfish, known as Segment 1A, is complete. The work was completed on schedule and on budget.
Project 11’s Segment 1A constitutes eleven and a half miles in the Bay. The expansion of this area is expected to help increase safety, reduce congestion, and improve vessel transit times by approximately an hour by reducing daylight restrictions.
Project 11 is on track toward its goal of completion in 2025, an aggressive timeline that is necessary to accommodate the future needs of businesses and vessels.
Work continues on the construction of Long Bird Island and is expected to be completed later in the year. The 4-5-acre new island habitat includes various land elevations, shore protection, oyster wave trips and a lagoon. Additional dredging is currently underway in the Redfish to Bayport portion of the Channel (Segment 1B) and work in this area is scheduled for 2024 completion.
Port Houston has owned and operated the public wharves and terminals along the Houston Ship Channel, including the area’s largest breakbulk facility and two of the most efficient container terminals in the country. Port Houston is the advocate and a strategic leader for the Channel. The Houston Ship Channel complex and its more than 200 public and private terminals, collectively known as the Port of Houston, is the US’s largest port for waterborne tonnage.
