US firm wins $404m worth of flood protection work on Port Arthur Project

The Port Arthur Project involves the construction of improvements to increase the level of flood protection provided by the existing hurricane protection system at Port Arthur, Texas.

Under the contract awarded to Kiewit by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), PAV04, it will replace 9,525 feet (2,909 metres) of floodwall, 2,300 feet (701 metres) of levee raises, four levee-floodwall tie-ins, and fronting protection at three pump stations.

Construction work is due to start in summer 2026 and will take three and a half years to complete.

PAV04 is a design-build contract and serves as the seed project for USACE’s $7 billion Construction Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC), which aims to deliver large-scale civil works infrastructure projects along the Texas coast.

The Port Arthur Project is a partnership between USACE and Jefferson County Drainage District No. 7 (DD7), with funding support from the State of Texas. Project costs are shared 65% federally and 35% non-federally. USACE is managing the design and construction, while DD7 will continue to operate and maintain the system following construction.

The Port Arthur Project, a component of the Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay (S2G) Coastal Storm Risk Management Project.

Gulf Coast Protection District (GCPD) executive director Coalter Baker said, “This award, which represents the largest construction contract to date for the S2G Project, is an important step in the long-term effort to improve flood protection for the Port Arthur area. We’re pleased to support DD7 and USACE as they move this critical work forward.”

Designs for the remaining elements of the Port Arthur Project are still under development. Full project completion is targeted for 2033.