MARINE SERVICES

Rollover Pass Closure Project - 2021
Client: Texas General Land Office

The Texas General Land contracted GPI to permanently close Rollover Pass, requiring fill and closure from bayside to beachside due to erosion on the beachfront and silting of the Intercoastal Waterway. Rollover Pass was a susceptible structure prone to storm damage with the potential to trap Bolivar residents evacuating from impending storms.

GPI inserted steel sheet piles across the mouth of the Gulf and Bay sides of the site to form temporary walls and cut off the tidal flow of water through the pass. The existing concrete buttresses were removed from the Gulf side and reused to create two fill stabilization structures with a large crane, barge, and bulldozers. GPI then placed beach sand outside the temporary walls and a permanent steel sheet pile was installed on the Gulf side of the pass. Fill material was used to close the pass, including cleaned concrete pieces saved during demolition and general fill sand. The mid-level of the pass is general fill sand, and the top portion is comprised of beach-quality sand. Using beach-quality sand, a new dune was created on the Gulf side. The new dune matches the alignment of the existing dunes on either side of the pass and is planted with native beach species to increase structural stability and allow it to work as a natural dune. Finally, the temporary walls were removed, and stormwater runoff swales (shallow ditches) were graded to create positive drainage on the Bayside.