Port of Galveston Awarded $8.2M in Mobility and Transportation Grants
Port of Galveston Awarded $8.2M in Mobility and Transportation Grants
Port of Galveston Awarded $8.2M in Mobility and Transportation Grants
January 12, 2026
GALVESTON, TX (Jan. 13, 2026) – The Galveston Wharves has received $8.178 million in state and federal funding to improve mobility and pedestrian and traffic safety in and around the port.
“Continuing to improve mobility is a top priority for the Galveston Wharves,” said Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves port director and CEO. “We’re using funding from these six grants to plan and implement improvements to make it safer and easier for people to move around the port and to access the waterfront.”
A $340,000 federal grant funded a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan to identify and address roadway safety concerns on and adjacent to port property. Recommendations include improvements to roadways, intersections, traffic signals and pedestrian crossings. Read the plan on the port’s website.
The port will use a $2.83 million Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) grant to fund the first round of projects. Work will include accessibility ramps, lighting, traffic controls, pavement markings and signs, where needed, at eight intersections on Harborside Drive between 14th and 25th streets.
Rees said, “We’re excited to be able to take steps to more safely connect the waterfront with downtown Galveston for the enjoyment of island residents, visitors and cruise guests.”
The port will look for future opportunities to fund other plan recommendations on a priority basis.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has also awarded a $408,000 grant to build upon the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. Consultants will evaluate the benefits of additional intersection improvements, traffic calming features, wayfinding, bike lanes, and sidewalks to improve safety for pedestrians and vehicles in and around the port.
TxDOT also awarded a $1.6 million grant to design and install signage like that at Cruise Terminal 10 at the port’s three other cruise terminals to enhance traffic flow.
Grants to Study I-45 Flyover
Two Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) grants totaling $3 million will fund studies on the feasibility of a flyover from Interstate-45 to the port’s internal roadway to improve cruise and cargo traffic flow and help reduce congestion on Harborside Drive. The studies will be managed by the port and overseen by TxDOT.
Rees said, “We greatly appreciate the support of our state and federal elected officials, as well as transportation staff, who have made this funding for public safety and mobility improvements possible. As part of our long-range strategic plan, we’ll continue to pursue funding to manage traffic as we plan responsibly for port and regional growth.”
About the Port of Galveston
Located at the entrance to Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel, the Port of Galveston has been a thriving maritime commercial center since 1825. Just 45 minutes from open seas, the 840-acre port has infrastructure and assets to serve growing cruise, cargo and commercial businesses.
The port is the fourth-ranked cruise home port in the U.S. with four cruise terminals. In 2026 the port projects 445 sailings and 3.9 million passenger movements, a new record for the port.
Galveston also leases and maintains a wide range of cargo facilities on the deep-water Galveston Harbor, which is ranked among the top 40 busiest U.S. cargo waterways. The Galveston Wharves is a self-sustaining city entity whose mission is to generate and reinvest port revenues to benefit the Galveston community with economic growth, jobs and sales tax revenues.
Photo Caption: More than $8 million in grants will fund mobility and transportation studies and improvements in and around the Port of Galveston. Located adjacent to historic downtown Galveston, the thriving cruise and cargo port hosts almost 2 million cruise passengers a year. (Photo courtesy Galveston Wharves. Photo by Robert John Mihovil.)
Media Contact Galveston Wharves: Kathy Thomas, Communications Director, Galveston
Wharves, kathy@communitystrategiesllc.com