The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has allocated over $528,000 in federal funding to Texas for the repair of an eroding coastal road in Aransas County. This initiative aims to enhance flood control and stabilize the shoreline by constructing offshore breakwaters.
Shell Ridge Road, located near Rockport, has been identified as a critical evacuation route that has faced significant risks since Hurricane Harvey. A recovery report from Aransas County revealed that engineers observed approximately 215 feet of erosion and undermining along the roadway.
The county highlighted that this route is essential for the evacuation of around 60 homes and a small harbor with four boat slips, particularly in the face of tropical storms and coastal flooding threats. Previous plans outlined in a report for 2019 and 2020 estimated that $3.3 million would be necessary to create a “living breakwater reef” to further protect the area.
