GLDD Wins Two Major Dredging Contracts
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (GLDD) announced June 1 that it had received two major dredging contracts from the Galveston Engineer District totaling $186.6 million.
The contracts include:
- Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project, dredging reaches 1, 2 and 4—$157.4 million; and
- Galveston Entrance Channel and Houston Ship Channel Dredging Project—$29.2 million.
The Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project entails deepening the channel to authorized depths of 51 to 56 feet, which will make the Port of Freeport the deepest port in Texas. This channel is 7.5 miles and is currently the shortest channel on the Texas Gulf with direct access to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Work is expected to commence in the second half of 2023 with estimated completion in the fourth quarter of 2025. This project is the third largest domestic award in GLDD’s history.
The Galveston Entrance Channel and Houston Ship Channel (Bolivar to Redfish) Dredging Project includes maintenance dredging to maintain associated channel depths. Work is expected to commence in the second half of 2023 with estimated completion in the first quarter of 2024. This project also includes the beneficial use of dredged materials on Galveston Island.
“Great Lakes is pleased to add the above work to our backlog of capital and maintenance dredging projects,” said Lasse Patterson, GLDD president and CEO. “The Freeport Channel Improvement Project is one of the first capital projects to be awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2023, and we anticipate several more capital projects to enter the market before the end of the year. We are proud to bring our strong safety culture and experience as the contractor on both of these projects. There is a great need for the above listed projects and similar projects to continue to support the overall improvement and resiliency of our country’s environment, coastlines and infrastructure.”
