US engineer Jacobs will lead the design of a storm surge barrier across the two-mile-wide Bolivar Roads strait connecting the Gulf of Mexico to Galveston Bay in Texas.
The Bolivar Roads Gate System – or just “The Gate” – will protect six million people and $800bn worth of assets along the busy Houston Ship Canal to the Port of Houston against hurricanes and rising seas.
Jacobs was appointed to the scheme by the Gulf Coast Protection District and the Texas General Land Office (GLO).
“We can no longer wait to implement this long-term resiliency strategy, aimed at safeguarding the largest port and petrochemical complex in the nation,” said GLO Commissioner, Dawn Buckingham.
The Gate is a central element of the nearly $1bn Coastal Texas Project. As part of that, engineering consultant HDR will lead the design of the Bolivar and West Galveston Beach and Dune System, designed to strengthen coastal barriers along the Bolivar Peninsula and West Galveston Island.
These measures are intended to lower recovery costs, protect jobs reliant on port and industrial activity and preserve wetlands and oyster reefs.
Eva Wood, Jacobs’ executive vice president, said: “This is a generational investment in Texas’ future. By leveraging our experience on the world’s most complex surge barrier programs, we’re delivering a system designed to focus on the Gulf Coast’s resilience to extreme weather events, while keeping the Houston Ship Channel open for commerce.
“This investment is expected to safeguard communities, protect critical ecosystems, while advancing innovative tools for long-term operational readiness.”
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