Portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW ) is the portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States . It is a navigable inland waterway running approximately 1,300 mi (2,100 km) from Saint Marks, Florida , to Brownsville , Texas .
The waterway provides a channel with a controlling depth of 12 ft (3.7 m), designed primarily for barge transportation. Although the U.S. government proposals for such a waterway were made in the early 19th century,[ 3] [ 4]
The Corps of Engineers marks the Intracoastal with channel markers like this one. Locations along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway are defined in terms of statute miles (as opposed to nautical miles , in which most marine routes are measured) east and west of Harvey Lock, a navigation lock in the New Orleans area located at 29°54′32″N 90°05′02″W / 29.909°N 90.084°W / 29.909; -90.084 Panama City , Florida, for example, is at mile 284.6 EHL (East of Harvey Lock). The Queen Isabella Causeway Bridge at South Padre Island is at mile 665.1 WHL (West of Harvey Lock).[ 5]
Connecting waterways
The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway crosses or meets, and in some cases is confluent with, numerous other navigable rivers and waterways. They include:
Ports and harbors
The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway enters Galveston Bay at Port Bolivar, Texas Many of the busiest ports in the United States in terms of tons of cargo[ 6] Gulf Intracoastal Waterway . Notable ports on or near the waterway include:[needs update
Florida
Alabama
Mississippi
Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Ranked 7th busiestHouma, Louisiana -Intracoastal City, Louisiana Lake Charles, Louisiana - As of mid-2024 ranked 10th busiest. The GIWW has the Calcasieu Lock just east of Lake Charles . The three-fold purpose is to facilitate navigation, provide flood relief, and prevent possible saltwater intrusion into the Mermentau River Basin.[ 7] Larose, Louisiana Morgan City, Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana - Ranked 5th busiestPort Allen, Louisiana Port of South Louisiana - Ranked 2nd busiestPort of Plaquemines - Ranked 12th busiestTexas
Beaumont, Texas - Ranked 8th busiestBrownsville, Texas Corpus Christi, Texas - Ranked 3rd busiestPort Freeport, Texas - Ranked 16th busiestGalveston, Texas - Ranked 46th busiestHouston, Texas - Ranked as busiest port in the United StatesPort Arthur, Texas - Ranked 15th busiestPort Lavaca - Point Comfort, Texas Texas City, Texas - Ranked 20th busiestVictoria, Texas
See also
References
KML is from Wikidata
Sources
