Dive Brief:
- St. Louis-based builder McCarthy completed Port Houston’s Bayport Wharf 6, the contractor announced in a Nov. 9 release shared with Construction Dive. The project cost $91.6 million, according to the Houston Chronicle.
- Located at the Bayport Container Terminal in Seabrook, Texas, the project included substantial earthwork — McCarthy dredged 400,000 cubic yards of sediment from the shoreline, according to the release. Other components of the project included underground utilities, the installation of drilled shaft foundations, cast-in-place concrete, crane rails plus a new ship fender and mooring system.
- Over the past 15 years, McCarthy has completed over $500 million in projects at Port Houston, per the release. The contractor built the project in 26 months, starting in May 2021, on an accelerated schedule.
Dive Insight:
Additional funding for the project came from the federal Port Infrastructure Development program, which provided $21.84 million, the Chronicle reported. Wharf 6 is part of the broader, $1.5 billion overhaul of Port Houston, according to the port’s website.
The new, 1,000-foot-long wharf can accommodate vessels up to 1,200 feet long, per the release. Construction of the new wharf included installing 623 drilled shafts — 269 landside and 354 waterside — measuring 36 and 42 inches in diameter.
The build wasn’t easy — McCarthy said it faced challenges when it began in 2021, starting with procurement issues. Material prices rocketed upwards in 2021 by 20%. Constant communication, McCarthy said in the release, was the key to maintaining its project schedule.
“We were pleased to continue our 30-year working relationship with Port Houston, the nation’s largest port for waterborne tonnage, and an essential economic engine for not only the state of Texas but the entire country,” said Fitz O’Donnell, senior vice president of operations for McCarthy’s marine and industrial business unit, in the release.
The builder has been busy — in August, the Oakland Athletics selected a McCarthy-Mortenson JV for its $1.5 billion Las Vegas ballpark. McCarthy also won a contract for a $400 million battery material manufacturing plant in its hometown of St. Louis.
