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Texas City Dike

USA / Texas / Galveston /
The Texas City Dike is a levee located in Texas City, Texas that projects nearly 5 miles southeast into the mouth of Galveston Bay. It is flanked by the northeastern tip of Galveston Island and the southwestern tip of the Bolivar Peninsula.

The dike was originally designed to reduce the impact of sediment accumulation along the lower Bay. The Bay itself connects the Houston Ship Channel with the Gulf of Mexico some 75 nautical miles distant. As Texas City expanded from its industrial roots to become a thriving residential community, the dike's purpose changed, and it became the city's best hope against a catastrophic incursion of water surging westward into the low-lying community from a hurricane landfall in the Bay.

The dike, whose construction was authorized by the Texas State Legislature in 1935, was constructed of tumbled granite blocks with a wide-paved road extending its entire length.

The dike was topped over by what was measured as an 11-foot storm surge driven into the Bay by Hurricane Ike in 2008.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_City_Dike
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   29°22'38"N   94°50'53"W

Comments

  • Amy Messina (guest)
    The dike is 5 miles from the entrance at Bay Street to the end.
This article was last modified 12 years ago