Navigation Simulation Study, Galveston Causeway, Chocolate Bayou, Texas City Wye, Intracoastal Waterway, Texas

Abstract : A real-time simulation of proposed designs for improving navigation conditions on the Gulf Intra coastal Waterway at the Galveston Causeway, Chocolate Bayou, and Texas City Wye was conducted. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of proposed improvements on commercial tows navigating the reaches. A numerical model of the existing channels at Galveston Causeway, Chocolate Bayou and Texas City Wye was developed. The model was verified by two towboat pilots that frequently transit the reaches. Tow track data were recorded for a variety of conditions and comparisons made between all alternatives and existing conditions. The investigation was conducted in Vicksburg, MS, on the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station ship simulator.