$32 million OK’d for Cedar Bayou dredging

The financing for an extensive Cedar Bayou dredging project has been secured.

Cedar Bayou Navigation District Chairman Tim Tyler announced Tuesday funding for the channel improvement project in Cedar Bayou is fully funded in the Corps of Engineers work plan for fiscal year 2020. The amount needed to completed the improvements, just over $32 million, will allow the corps to complete the project in optimal time.

The goal of the project is to normalize an eight-mile stretch of the existing navigation channel from mile marker three to the upper end of Highway 146. The channel will be improved to a depth of 10 foot and a width of 100 foot. 

The improvements will aid in flood mitigation and enhance the mobility of commerce. 

“The Cedar Bayou Navigation District has long been a critical channel serving the epicenter of America’s energy industry and I am thrilled that they’re receiving $32 million to finally complete their vital project,” Congressman Brian Babin said. “The benefits that will stem from this venture will greatly enhance the community as well as local businesses, even going as far as impacting America’s economy. I have been working with various counterparts to fund this project for many years now, and today, we finally secured that funding.”

The project has received wide support from Chambers County, the City of Baytown and a significant number of key companies that rely on the channel for transport of goods.

Covestro also spoke in support of the project.

“The Cedar Bayou plays an important part in our supply chain, serving as a strategic passage between our North American production site and the Houston Ship Channel,” Demetri Zervoudis, senior VP and site manager for Covestro Industrial Park, said. “The Bayou dredging project enables us to maximize our barge capacity, increasing our shipping efficiency and reducing overall barge traffic. 

“We are grateful to the leadership Congressman Babin has shown in supporting and promoting the Corps of Engineer project, and we recognize the value this brings to the community.”