The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is seeking bids or reviewing proposals for maintenance dredging at four Gulf Coast waterways in Texas, Louisiana and Florida. A fifth project, on Louisiana’s Calcasieu River and Pass, was awarded on September 29.
The largest solicitation covers the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) between Freeport and Matagorda Bay in Texas.
USACE’s pre-solicitation notice specifies about 345,000 cubic yards (264,000 cubic metres) between Freeport Harbor and the Brazos River and 51,000 cubic yards (39,000 cubic metres) at the Brazos River Crossing, with an optional 480,000 cubic yards (367,000 cubic metres) in the channel to Palacios.
The GIWW work requires a pipeline dredge, with USACE anticipating operations from January through July 2027. Reaches include the Brazos River Crossing and the waterway between the San Bernard and Colorado rivers.
The Louisiana solicitation for the Barataria Bay Waterway Bar Channel includes a base volume of 375,000 cubic yards (287,000 cubic metres), plus as many as 100,000 cubic yards (76,500 cubic metres) more. Material will be placed at Grand Terre Island, with completion required within 90 calendar days of notice to proceed.
The Mermentau River Bar Channel project in Louisiana covers about 800,000 cubic yards (612,000 cubic metres), with USACE estimating a contract value of $10 million to $25 million. Material will be placed along the gulf shoreline west of the river’s jetties.
USACE estimates that removal from Florida’s Pensacola Harbor Entrance Channel could total about 800,000 cubic yards (612,000 cubic metres) to maintain a depth of 39 feet. Offers are due October 13, with dredged sand to be placed along Perdido Key Beach.
USACE awarded Mike Hooks the Calcasieu contract for $34,098,830. The listed value for base work and all options is $36,492,037.
The Calcasieu work covers river miles 5–17, with material placed in areas designated for marsh creation inside the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge and adjacent to the channel. Options include dredging at Devil’s Elbow.