Jacobs designs one of the world’s largest coastal gate systems

Jacobs has been selected by the Gulf Coast Protection District (GCPD) to lead engineering design for a coastal storm surge barrier along the Texas Gulf Coast – The Gate (known as the Bolivar Roads Gate System), which is a central element of the Coastal Texas Project. The system is expected to be among the largest coastal storm surge barrier gate systems in the world.

Stretching across Bolivar Roads – the narrow strait connecting the Gulf to Galveston Bay – the gate system will serve as a critical line of defense against hurricanes and rising seas.

Once complete, it is expected to help protect more than six million residents, safeguard an estimated $800 billion in regional assets and support continued operations along the Houston Ship Channel, one of the world’s busiest energy corridors.

The Coastal Texas Project is a partnership between the Gulf Coast Protection District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas General Land Office. Supported by nearly $1 billion in state funding, it represents the most ambitious coastal resiliency effort in U.S. history.

Jacobs’ design will integrate advanced sector gates to limit storm surge while enabling continued maritime traffic, supported by cutting-edge digital modeling and operational planning to maintain long-term reliability.

By reducing storm damage risk, it aims to lower recovery costs, protect thousands of jobs tied to the region’s port and industrial activity and preserve sensitive habitats such as wetlands and oyster reefs, Jacobs concluded.