Port Houston invests $450 mln to expand Houston Ship Channel
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The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority met in a special session and awarded two of the largest contracts in the organization’s history, according to the company's release.
The Commission approved the staff’s recommendation to award Weeks Marine and Curtin Maritime Corporation contracts totaling $430 million to complete the remaining Galveston Bay segments of the Houston Ship Channel expansion project.
Port Houston staff recommended Weeks Marine and Curtin Maritime Corporation based on the best value, including cost, schedule, environmental components, and Small, Minority and Woman-owned Business Enterprises (S/MWBE) inclusion.
According to the USACE, the Houston Ship Channel is the busiest waterway in the nation. Port Houston’s eight public terminals and more than 200 private facilities have an economic impact of nearly $802 billion in annual activity to the nation, and support more than 2.1 million U.S. jobs. Project 11 is 82% funded, and efforts continue to secure the remaining federal funds. When complete, the USACE study shows Project 11 should add more than $133 million annually in national economic value. The Port Commission approved all of the items on the agenda, totaling $450 million supporting the channel expansion efforts.
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 U.S. largest port for waterborne tonnage and an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas and the U.S.