Posted on December 8, 2025
The Gulf Coast Protection District (GCPD) and Texas General Land Office (GLO) announced yesterday the approval of two engineering design contracts for the largest coastal protection effort in the history of the United States – the Coastal Texas Project.
The two contracts represent a milestone in moving this historic initiative toward construction. Each contract covers a major component of the larger project.
Part I: Galveston Bay Barrier System
The Galveston Bay Barrier System (aka the “Ike Dike”) represents the largest element of the Coastal Texas Project. It accounts for 85 percent of the $35 billion estimated cost.
HDR won engineering design for Beaches and Dunes (Bolivar and West Galveston Beach and Dune System). Goal: ecosystem restoration to strengthen natural coastal barriers along the Bolivar Peninsula and West Galveston Island.
The Beaches and Dunes features will move into design first.
Part II: Bolivar Roads Gate System
The second element: the largest flood gate system in the world. Jacobs won the engineering design of The Gate (Bolivar Roads Gate System). It will span a two-mile-wide waterway between Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula.
Remember Ike
Those who lived in Houston in 2008 will likely never forget Hurricane Ike. It began as a Category 4 storm 800 miles wide. And it made landfall along the upper Texas Coast as a high end Category 2. The eye came right up Galveston Bay and crossed the Lake Houston Area. It pushed 15-20 feet of storm surge inland in Chambers County almost as far north as I-10.
Track of Hurricane Ike
Surge traveled deep inland through Galveston Bay, Clear Lake, and the Houston Ship Channel, flooding industrial sites and neighborhoods as far north as Baytown. Also, Ike spawned 29 tornadoes.
Luckily, the world’s largest petrochemical complex was on the dry side of the storm. West of the eye, winds pushed water back out to sea. Therefore, surge was lower.
Had Ike made landfall, a few miles farther west, the story could have been much different.
Importance of Projects
“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, M.D.
“The State of Texas has appropriated nearly $1 billion to the Gulf Coast Protection District to advance projects offering multiple lines of defense to reduce the risk of coastal storm surges. With President Trump leading the way, I am confident our federal leaders will follow suit and fully fund the Coastal Texas Project, ensuring our national assets are protected from the threat of devastating storms.”
“These contracts are important because they move two major features of the Coastal Texas Project into design. Once designed, we can finally realize the full magnitude of these ideas and further engage local communities with details, not concepts,” said Coalter Baker, Executive Director, Gulf Coast Protection District.
Destruction on Bolivar Peninsula After Hurricane Ike. Scouring literally ripped streets and storm sewers out of the ground.
Destruction on Bolivar Peninsula After Hurricane Ike. Not much was left standing. Many residents could not even find their property because the storm destroyed so much.
About the Gulf Coast Protection District
In 2021, the 87th Texas Legislature established The Gulf Coast Protection District (GCPD). Its purpose? To lead a unified and comprehensive coastal resilience strategy for the upper Texas coast. As the non-Federal sponsor for major elements of the Coastal Texas Project and the Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay Project, GCPD plays a pivotal role in delivering large-scale storm surge protection and coastal restoration.
Responsible for safeguarding approximately 5,220 square miles across five counties, GCPD leads the largest coastal protection initiative in U.S. history. For more information, visit the GCPD website.
