Posted on July 16, 2025
The Texas Department of Transportation has plans to double its dredging efforts in the channel between the Galveston Port-Bolivar Ferry landings after the vessel Robert Lanier ran aground and got stuck on a sand bar.
The ferry grounded on silt at the bottom of the channel May 25 as it was leaving Bolivar Peninsula on its regular route to take passengers to Galveston.
The boat was stuck for about three hours until a tug boat pulled the ferry from the sand bar, and the ferry navigated to Galveston undamaged.
Ferry captains were told to avoid that area and use sonar to avoid hitting silt buildup again until annual dredging was completed in early July, Danny Perez, public information officer for the Texas Department of Transportation’s Houston district, said.
“Rather than just relying on the one time of year dredging, we’re looking at opportunities to have a second dredging to prevent any situations like we had in May,” Perez said.
The department operates six ferries that provide 24-hour transportation for about 6 million people every year between Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston island, according to Texas A&M University at Galveston.
It’s the hurricane evacuation route for Bolivar residents and the fastest way for them to reach emergency medical services. It also encourages tourism, making it important to both towns’ economies.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredges the channel annually to ensure safe and reliable ferry usage, according to the corps’ website.
From June to July it dredged about 100,000 cubic yards of silt, Perez said.
The channel needs to be more than 12 feet deep for the ferry to operate, Perez said. Before dredging this year, parts of the channel were only 10 feet deep, Perez said.
If the depth isn’t maintained, navigating the waters could be hazardous for the ferry and could lead to channel closures and increased costs to fix it, according to the U.S. Army Corps.
Adding a second annual dredge depends on the department finding a place to dump the dredged silt, Perez said.
It could be used to replenish eroded beaches and the department will work with the corps, the Texas General Land Office and environmental groups find a suitable beach, Perez said.
If all goes according to plan, the corps would dredge again next in the fall, Perez said.
The department was unable to find another instance of grounding in its history, Perez said. But the issue could become more prevalent as climate change continues.
“The number of weather events has increased, and the impacts of the silt buildup is just happening a lot quicker than in years past,” Perez said.
Severe weather in the Gulf, including hurricanes, bring silt to the channel and necessitate dredging. Hurricane Beryl was part of the reason for the buildup that caused the grounding in May, Perez said.
The department is also contemplating increasing the amount of silt it dredges each year, Perez said.
“We feel like it’s a necessity to double the efforts to do this two times a year,” Perez said.
