The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District (SWG) and the Gulf Coast Protection District (GCPD) signed a Design Agreement, August 14, 2024, to partner on the design of the Coastal Texas Project (CTX), specifically the Galveston Bay Storm Surge Barrier System and Ecosystem Restoration feature G-28.
Authorized for design and construction by the Water Resources Development Act of 2022, the CTX represents a systemwide risk management strategy for the coastline of Texas, employing multiple lines of defense to reduce the risk of coastal storm surge and to restore degraded coastal ecosystems. The Galveston Bay Storm Surge Barrier System, which includes the Bolivar Roads Gate System, integrates structural and non-structural coastal storm risk management actions to improve the resiliency of coastal communities and the living shoreline. Ecosystem Restoration feature G-28 includes shoreline and island protection along the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway on Bolivar Peninsula to the north shore of West Bay. More information on these features can be found at https://www.coastaltexasproject.com.
In signing the Design Agreement, the GCPD formally takes on the role of non-federal sponsor for the design of these specific features and will be responsible for providing 35% of all design costs. Importantly, following the recent allocation of funding in the Army Civil Works Program FY24 Work Plan, execution of this agreement allows SWG and its partners to move forward with preconstruction engineering and design phase activities.
“The Gulf Coast Protection District is excited to formalize our partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and to kick-start design efforts on the Coastal Texas Project. It is imperative that we initiate design activities on the Galveston Bay Storm Surge Barrier System and quickly push towards initial construction contracts for critically needed beach and dune and shoreline protection projects,” said GCPD President Michel Bechtel.
“Today’s signing marks a major milestone in the journey of securing Texas’s coastline,” said Col. Rhett Blackmon, SWG district commander. “This collaboration with the GCPD advances the essential design work for the Galveston Bay Storm Surge Barrier and ecosystem restoration, which will ensure a stronger, more resilient Texas for future generations.”
While the signing of this agreement marks a critical milestone in the advancement of the Coastal Texas Project, a separate Project Partnership Agreement between USACE and GCPD will later be required to facilitate construction activities. Furthermore, a separate Design Agreement and Project Partnership Agreement will also be required between USACE and the Texas General Land Office, who is expected to serve as the non-federal sponsor for the remainder of the Ecosystem Restoration projects, in addition to the South Padre Island Beach Nourishment Project.
The GCPD was created in 2021 by the 87th Texas Legislature to oversee the implementation of an integrated and comprehensive coastal resilience strategy for the upper Texas coast. Specifically, this includes assuming the role of non-federal sponsor for major portions of the federally funded and USACE led Coastal Texas Project and Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay Project. The GCPD contains approximately 5,220 square miles of land covering Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Jefferson, and Orange counties.
