$92M contract awarded to expand Corpus Christi Ship Channel

An Illinois company has won a $92 million contract to deepen and widen the Corpus Christi Ship Channel to accommodate larger oil tankers.

The Port of Corpus Christi on Thursday announced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers selected Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company. The federal government and the Port of Corpus Christi are funding the overall $360 million ship channel project.

Plans include expanding the Corpus Christi Ship Channel from the Gulf of Mexico to Harbor Island. The depth would increase from 47 feet (14 meters) to 54 feet (16 meters) from the jetties at the entrance to the channel.

The project comes amid replacement of the Harbor Bridge, which opened in 1959 and has a 138-foot (42 meters) clearance, with a larger span.