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Gulf Intracoastal Waterway

{{Short description|Portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States}}

{{Infobox canal

| name = Gulf Intracoastal Waterway

| image = Bowmanlock.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| image_caption = Leland Bowman Lock near Intracoastal City, Louisiana, on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway

| map = Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.png

| map_size =

| map_alt =

| map_caption = The route of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway

| mapframe = yes

| mapframe-zoom = 4

| location = Gulf Coast of the United States

| country = United States

| length_mi = 1300{{sfn | Transportation Research Board | 2004 | p=30}}

| date_approved =

| date_act =

| date_began =

| date_use =

| date_completed = {{Start date|1949|6|18}}

| date_extended =

| begin_coord =

| end_coord =

| branch_of = Intracoastal Waterway

| connects_to = Various

| start_point = Brownsville, Texas

| end_point = Saint Marks, Florida{{sfn|US Army|2013}}

| module =

}}

The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW{{sfn | Transportation Research Board | 2004 | p=30}}) is the portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is a navigable inland waterway running approximately {{convert|1300|mi|abbr=on}}{{sfn | Transportation Research Board | 2004 | p=30}} from Saint Marks, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas.

The waterway provides a channel with a controlling depth of {{convert|12|ft|abbr=on}}, designed primarily for barge transportation. Although the U.S. government proposals for such a waterway were made in the early 19th century,{{cite web |title=Gulf Intracoastal Waterway |first=Art |last=Leatherwood |website=Handbook of Texas Online |date=15 June 2010 |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rrg04 |access-date=March 23, 2020}} the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway was not completed until 1949.{{cite web |author=Lynn M. Alperin |title=History of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway |work=U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History |url=http://www.usace.army.mil/inet/usace-docs/misc/nws83-9/entire.pdf |access-date=2006-04-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051208070639/http://www.usace.army.mil/inet/usace-docs/misc/nws83-9/entire.pdf |archive-date = 2005-12-08}}

EHL & WHL mileages

Image:165whl.jpg 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 {{Coord|29.909|N|90.084|W|}}. The Hathaway Bridge in 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).{{cite web |title=33 CFR 89.25 Waters Specified by the Secretary |work=U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center |url=http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/navRules/Insert_Page207208.pdf |access-date=2006-04-21}}

Connecting waterways

{{Further|List of waterways forming and crossings of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway}}

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

Image:Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Galveston Bay.jpg

Many of the busiest ports in the United States in terms of tons of cargo{{Cite web |title=Tonnage of Top 50 U.S. Water Ports, Ranked by Total Tons |url=https://www.bts.gov/content/tonnage-top-50-us-water-ports-ranked-total-tons |access-date=2022-10-14 |website=U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics |language=en}} are located on or near the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Notable ports on or near the waterway include:{{update needed|date=July 2024}}


Florida


Alabama


Mississippi


Louisiana


Texas

See also

References

{{Attached KML}}

{{Reflist}}

Sources

  • {{cite book | title=The Marine Transportation System and the Federal Role: Measuring Performance, Targeting Improvement | publisher=Transportation Research Board | series=Special report (National Research Council (U.S.). Transportation Research Board) | year=2004 | isbn=978-0-309-09452-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-CXrjAmfJIUC&pg=PA30 | ref={{sfnref | Transportation Research Board | 2004}} | access-date=2023-06-03}}
  • {{cite web |last1=US Army |title=What is the district's role in maintaining the GIWW? |url=https://www.army.mil/article/97833/what_is_the_districts_role_in_maintaining_the_giww |website=army.mil |publisher=US Army |date=March 6, 2013}}

{{Waters of Texas}}

{{Authority control}}

Gulf

Category:Gulf Coast of the United States

Category:Canals in Alabama

Category:Canals in Florida

Category:Canals in Louisiana

Category:Canals in Mississippi

Category:Canals in New Orleans

Category:Canals in Texas

Category:Canals opened in 1949

Category:1949 establishments in the United States