By 
Story by TIM SULLIVAN
A critical channel deepening project at the Port of Brownsville has received another big financial shot in the arm.
The Texas Transportation Commission is sending $43 million to the Brownsville Navigation District to help pay the cost of dredging the Brownsville Ship Channel. The money is in the form of a loan from the Ship Channel Improvement Revolving Fund that state lawmakers approved last session. The project will deepen a 13-mile stretch of the channel from 42 to 52 feet – making it capable of accommodating today’s larger cargo vessels which officials say will boost trade and economic growth at the port.
Prior funding assistance for the dredging has come from Houston-based Next Decade which is constructing an LNG terminal at the Port of Brownsville. In addition, $68 million is coming from the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Improvement Act.
