Callan Marine Wins Packery Channel Restoration Contract

The Corpus Christi (Texas) City Council recently awarded a $12.3 million construction contract to Callan Marine Ltd. for the Packery Channel Restoration project. The council also accepted and appropriated three Federal Emergency Management Agency-Public Assistance (FEMA-PA) reimbursement grants to fund the project.

The need for the Packery Channel Restoration project comes from damages sustained during Hurricane Harvey. Hurricane Harvey made landfall in the vicinity of Rockport as a Category 4 storm on August 25, 2017. As the storm’s eye passed to the north of Corpus Christi, torrential winds caused a sudden and intense water flow reversal in the Packery Channel. The high-velocity flow caused extensive erosion that undermined the channel’s southern wall and adjoining walkways. 

On August 26, 2017, a major disaster declaration was issued for Nueces County, opening the door for FEMA-PA Funds. The city received an official FEMA-PA award letter on September 14, 2021, declaring that the Packery Channel Restoration project had cleared final eligibility. The FEMA-PA award is intended to fund 90 percent of the repair costs, leaving the city a 10 percent local share of $1.5 million.

The restoration project includes repairs to the channel’s shoreline protection, sidewalks, bollards, storm drains, handrails and other damaged structures. Construction is anticipated to begin this year and will last 18 months.

The Packery Channel is a man-made pass that separates Padre Island from Mustang Island.