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According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, inflation might cause the cost of Texas’ coastal barrier project, which is already anticipated to be the most extensive civil engineering endeavor in U.S. history, to reach $57 billion.
That’s 68% higher than the Corps’ most recent estimate of $34 billion to build the “Ike Dike,” the massive system of gates across the mouth of Galveston Bay intended to protect the Houston region from storm surge during hurricanes.
During the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership’s Wednesday night meeting, the Corps stated that the higher number is a result of inflation and other increasing expenses if the project is funded over the anticipated 20-year period for designing and constructing. Conversely, the lower price of $34 billion represents the current cost of the project.
Due to the escalating costs, the commencement of the project remains uncertain. Congressional approval for funding the project in the upcoming decades is necessary, and it is probable that voters in five Texas coastal counties would need to authorize the use of tax dollars to cover 35% of the local cost, which is a customary requirement for similar projects.
The Ike Dike gates, named after the devastating hurricane that struck Galveston in 2008, constitute the largest component of Texas’ envisioned coastal barrier. This barrier project encompasses extensive stretches of dunes along Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula, as well as reinforced flood defenses surrounding Galveston Island, including the elevation of the current seawall.
Though Congress already authorized the project, Congress still hasn’t appropriated any money for it. There’s a massive backlog of federal projects — worth $100 billion — fighting for funding. U.S. Rep. Randy Weber, R-Friendswood, tried and failed to convince his colleagues to appropriate just $100 million for the Coastal Texas project earlier this year.
According to Melissa Samet, the National Wildlife Federation’s legal director for Water Resources and Coasts, the cost of the coastal barrier is highly likely to increase further as engineers progress with more detailed and technical design plans. Currently, the plans are mostly at a conceptual stage.
“It can pose a difficult political challenge,” she explained, “when Congress starts to pay attention as costs rise.”
According to Lt. Col. Ian O’Sullivan, the deputy commander for mega projects in the Corps’ Galveston district, the project does not require the entire funding upfront. O’Sullivan stated that the Corps could commence the project with a budget of $100 million in the first year, followed by $500 million in the subsequent year, and then $2.5 billion annually until its completion.
However, that’s simply one approach to accomplish it.
O’Sullivan stated that with something of this magnitude and complexity, there are countless ways to approach the situation.
Under the Corps’ plan, the federal government is responsible for 65% of the cost. Most of the rest will likely fall to the Gulf Coast Protection District, which includes Chambers, Galveston, Orange, Jefferson and Harris counties. The district, created by the Texas Legislature, has the power to levy taxes to pay for the project — if approved by voters.
“If the project could be funded and constructed at a faster pace, Nicole Sunstrum, the director of the Gulf Coast Protection District, claims that the increased cost estimate would be reduced, making it a more cost-effective endeavor.”
Sunstrum emphasized the importance of persistently advocating for funding, which would enable us to expedite the project’s completion and ultimately minimize the final cost.
According to Danielle Goshen, a policy specialist at the National Wildlife Federation, she believes that the escalating expenses could jeopardize the construction of the project.
Goshen, who has raised concerns about potential ecosystem disruptions, expressed that the project will impose a significant burden on the five counties required to vote on property tax hikes. Goshen further predicted a decline in political backing for the initiative.
She added that the chances of this getting funded were diminishing with each passing moment.
If voters don’t approve all of the local cost share, the project may have to go to the Legislature for funds. There is some indication that lawmakers are open to appropriating money for the Ike Dike: Earlier this year, state lawmakers approved $550 million of the state’s budget surplus to the Gulf Coast Protection District for coastal barrier projects.
The Corps took six years and spent $21 million to put together a proposal for the project, expected to be the largest in the agency’s history.
The plan has faced criticism from environmental groups, who argue that it is a misdirected attempt to manipulate nature. They anticipate negative consequences for the ecosystem, such as the loss of bird habitats and limitations on water flow between Galveston Bay and the ocean. These actions could potentially harm wetlands, impair water quality, and have adverse effects on marine species that rely on the movement between these areas during various stages of their life cycles.
The barrier would be vulnerable to being overtopped. It’s designed to stop a storm surge as high as 22 feet.
