The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District awarded a contract in the amount of $5,034,950 to Orion Marine Construction Inc., to dredge the High Island to Bolivar Flare portions of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) in Texas.
The contractor is required to remove approximately 1.3 million cubic yards of dredge material and place the useable material on the beaches of Rollover Pass as part of a beneficial use beach renourishment project, partially funded by the Texas General Land Office through a non-federal cost share initiative.
“The USACE Galveston District contributes to the well-being, economic success and quality of life of local communities by employing environmentally and economically responsible ways to use dredged materials to improve eroded coastlines through beach renourishmen t,” said Army Capt. Derek Thornton , an operations manager with the USACE Galveston District’s Navigation Branch . “ While performing one of our primary missions of maintaining safe waterways for commercial traffic, we’re able to work with our partners to ensure environmentally sound dredging and placement of the material .”
According to Thornton, the Bolivar Flare portion of the GIWW will be addressed first due to significant shoaling which has impacted the barge industry.
Dredging will begin at the end of October 2013 with an estimated completion date of March 2014.
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Press Release, September 29, 2013