Moving Cargo While We Build for the Future

Moving Cargo While We Build for the Future

March 21, 2025

By Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves Port Director and CEO

Galveston Wharves staff and construction contractors are making great progress on five projects to expand and improve our West Port Cargo Complex. We’re investing a total of $77.5 million to increase usable acreage for cargo handling and build a new berth.

It’s a big deal because this is the first time in decades that the port has made an investment of this size in its cargo docks. It demonstrates our commitment to our cargo business and to supporting good-paying jobs for union workers, stevedores and others who work on the waterfront. We are projecting an all-time high for cruise and cargo labor man-hours in 2026.

Funding to restore and expand the port’s cargo infrastructure is coming from a $36 million state grant and port cash reserves, largely generated from our growing cruise business.

Here’s a summary of each project and its progress:

• Pier 41 Pavement Replacement Project – We’re replacing about 6 acres of paving to improve cargo movements. The $5.5 million project is fully funded from port operating revenues. The project should be done by the end of April.

• West Port Complex Internal Road Project – The .6-mile-long road is being built of reinforced concrete to accommodate heavy construction and agricultural equipment. The equipment will be driven from Pier 34, where it is offloaded, to Pier 41 where it is stored until it’s loaded on tractor-trailer trucks for delivery. The $2.8 million project will be complete by end of April. Funding comes from port revenues, with 7 percent from a port tenant to relocate a rail crossing.

• Grain Complex Demolition Project – The port is removing a decades-old grain complex to add about 11 acres for more diverse cargos. This $3.3 million port-funded project at Pier 34 is on schedule to be completed by the end of May.

• West End Slip 38/39 Closure Wall and Fill – The port is about 30-percent complete with this $29 million project to enclose and fill an outdated slip. This multi-phase project is on track to be done by March 2026. Crews are working on demolition and building a sheet piling structure to enclose the slip.

The next step will be to fill the slip this summer and build a blacktop apron early next year. Once the fill settles, the port plans to pave the area with concrete to add about 6 acres for cargo handling. More than $10 million in funding for this port-funded project comes from federal funding related to Hurricane Ike in 2008.

• West End Pier 39/40 T-Head and Slip 40/41 Closure Wall – This $36.6 million project is funded with a $36 million state grant awarded by the Texas Department of Transportation, with the balance coming from port funds. The multi-phase project includes demolition, a slip closure wall, a tie-back system to hold the wall in place, and a concrete apron. With demolition complete, crews are driving sheet piling to enclose the slip. A 1,426-foot-long berth will extend from Pier 38/39 to Pier 40/41. We expect to celebrate completion in mid 2026.

Future projects will include filling and paving the slip area, as well as enclosing and filling the third and final slip at Pier 36-37. These two projects will add another 10 acres for cargo handling.  

In closing, I want to applaud our Engineering and Operations staff, contractors and tenants for working closely to reduce impacts on cargo operations in the midst of construction activity. Kudos to all.