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TxDOT design complete for new Seabrook boat ramp; construction not expected until 2026–2027
Summary
TxDOT’s design consultant told council the new two-lane Seabrook boat ramp on Clear Creek Channel is fully designed and in review; combined letting with neighboring Kemah means construction is not likely to start until late 2026 or 2027, and the City’s portion is budgeted about $4 million.
A Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) design consultant told Seabrook City Council on March 4 that plans for a new two-lane boat ramp under the new Clear Creek bridge are complete and under review, but construction is not expected to begin for more than a year.
Nico Kellos of LJ Engineering, the TxDOT design consultant, said the ramp will sit on the Clear Creek Channel just west of the new bridge with a small parking area under the bridge, two piers to the sides and a new access road built on the old railroad berm. He said the design includes a sidewalk on the east side for future trail connectivity and an access plan intended to reduce truck and trailer conflicts on State Highway 146.
Kellos said the plan includes parking sufficient for an estimated 11 truck-and-trailer launch stalls and roughly a dozen vehicle parking spaces. He said the project provides far less space than the preexisting ramp because the new bridge footprint constrains available area. “We tried to give you all as much parking as I possibly could,” Kellos said, noting the new bridge piers limited the layout.
City staff and consultants said TxDOT and the city of Kemah are treating the work as a combined contract; staff told council the project is expected to be let in September 2026 with a typical 90-day notice to start construction, placing Seabrook’s work into 2026–2027. The city reported a Seabrook-side budget figure near $4 million for the ramp work. Kellos said the design was submitted to TxDOT and was being revised in response to a few review comments.
Council members pressed TxDOT and the design team about why the project timeline stretched from earlier expectations; the consultant and TxDOT representatives attributed delay to the permitting process (including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits) and to earlier decisions about whether to restore ramps. Kellos said the Corps treats the relocated ramp as a new facility with a roughly two-year permitting timetable once designs are at about 60 percent.
The consultant said the ramp’s parking and access were designed to allow two lanes for launching and that the Seabrook ramp will be constructed to a higher extent than the Kemah-side work (Kemah’s ramp is a rehab while Seabrook’s is a new facility). Staff advised the public that detailed plans and large-format role plots were available for review following the presentation.
The council asked staff to continue tracking permitting and letting dates and to press TxDOT for timing and parking-lot layout clarification as the design advances to final review and bid readiness.
