The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District, in partnership with the Port of Brownsville and NextDecade, will host a ribbon cutting ceremony tomorrow, to mark the opening of the third deepest port in Texas and the completion of the Brazos Island Harbor (BIH) Channel Improvement Project.
The project deepens the Brownsville Ship Channel an additional 10 feet, increasing the entrance and jetty channels from 44 feet to 54 feet, and the main channel from 42 feet to 52 feet.
According to USACE, the deeper channel will allow larger vessels carrying heavier cargo to access the port, improving navigation safety, reducing vessel transit times, increasing cargo movement and strengthening the role of South Texas in the nation’s maritime supply chain.
The Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvement Project is one of only four nationwide Public-Private Partnership pilot projects designated by USACE in June 2019. The project includes channel deepening, dredging of berthing areas, improvements to dredged material placement areas and updated navigation aids.
USACE added that the project supports export capability, energy infrastructure, regional job growth, industrial investment and more reliable trade flows through a strategic maritime gateway at the U.S.-Mexico border.