Rice Presents Mid-Bay Gate Strategy

Over the past few years, Rice University experts have been working on a new hurricane-protection options for the Houston-Galveston region.

Past discussions focused on constructing a floodgate at the mouth of either Galveston Bay or the Houston Ship Channel. Rice University has just presented a third alternative: a mid-bay gate halfway between the previously discussed sites.

In a new report, Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center describes how the mid-bay alternative could provide storm-surge protection for the heavily populated communities on the west side of Galveston Bay as well as for the industrial complex along the Houston Ship Channel.

The report also details how the mid-bay gate could be part of a comprehensive regional flood-reduction plan if it were combined with components of the “Ike Dike” like new levees, dikes and elevated roadways.