Posted on January 28, 2026
Port Houston has begun early planning for a new project, called Project 12, which will follow the Houston Ship Channel expansion. The project will extend into Galveston Bay and include the ports of Texas City and Galveston. The port has allocated funds to start studies for this multiyear effort. CEO Charlie Jenkins said Project 12 will be larger than the previous Project 11.
Port Commission Signs Off On Study Funding
As part of its fiscal planning, the Port Commission approved the 2026 operating and capital budgets and adopted an amendment to the strategic plan that includes a cost-share agreement to launch a navigation feasibility study for Project 12. As outlined by Business Wire, that move clears the way for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin formal study work with Port Houston as the local sponsor. Port staff told commissioners the step is meant to position terminals and channels for larger vessels and future economic growth.
Jenkins Says Project 12 Will Be Bigger
In an interview with the paper, CEO Charlie Jenkins said Project 12 will be “much bigger” than Project 11 and is expected to include Texas City and Galveston. As reported by Houston Business Journal, the port has already allocated money to start preliminary engineering and feasibility studies.
Project 11 Shows The Scale
Project 11, the recent deepening and widening of the Houston Ship Channel, carried a price tag of roughly $1.2 billion, and Port Houston says its portions of the work are largely finished, according to Houston Chronicle. That project widened the channel through Galveston Bay and added hours of flexibility for vessel transits, benefits officials have been quick to spotlight. If Jenkins is right, Project 12 will have to top that effort to handle even larger ships or new routing priorities.
What A Corps-Led Feasibility Study Means
A navigation feasibility study with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requires a Feasibility Cost Share Agreement, scoping, environmental review and public engagement. Corps guidance aims to complete many feasibility reports in about three years under Section 1001 rules, although larger and more complex navigation projects often take longer and trigger additional reviews, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. That kind of timeline means Project 12’s engineering, environmental studies and permitting could stretch over many years before any construction begins.
Storm Surge, Parks And Dredge Reuse
Rice University’s SSPEED Center has been pushing the Galveston Bay Park Plan, which explicitly links Project 12’s dredged material to construction of a midbay levee and new parkland as a way to reuse spoils and bolster storm-surge protection. The plan, developed with input from Port Houston and local agencies, calls for using dredged clay to build a roughly 25-foot levee and create tens of thousands of acres of habitat and recreation. It offers a potential path for beneficial use of material from Project 12, per Rice University.
Local Stakes And Environmental Questions
The port is framing Project 12 as part of longer-term capacity and capital plans that will support terminals, cranes and landside improvements, priorities that are spelled out in the port’s budget documents. As outlined by Port Houston, the commission’s capital awards and investments are intended to keep the region competitive in global trade. At the same time, residents, anglers and environmental groups are likely to zero in on dredging disposal plans and habitat impacts as the studies move forward.
What Comes Next
Port officials say the next steps are execution of a Feasibility Cost Share Agreement and Corps scoping to define alternatives, environmental baselines and public outreach, after which the detailed engineering and permitting work will proceed. Port releases note that the commission has allocated funds and started initial paperwork to get the Corps study underway, and officials expect public meetings and regulatory reviews as the process unfolds, per Business Wire. For area residents, the coming months are when the real details, such as routes, disposal sites and mitigation plans, will surface and the long debate over economic gain versus environmental risk will start to take shape.
