Table 12 
Brazos Island Jetties 
Brazos Island Harbor, Texas 
Date(s) Construction and Rehabilitation History 
1882- Unsuccessful attempts to stabilize the pass and provide a navigable 
1928 channel were undertaken during 1882-1884 and 1926-1928. These 
improvements were authorized by River and Harbor Acts of 1880-1881 
and 1919. Construction of a south jetty was started in 1882 by 
placing alternate layers of brush mats and 11-lb clay bricks. The 
bricks did not provide sufficient ballast, and construction was 
halted in 1884. The jetty, partially completed to a length of 
3,955 ft, deteriorated rapidly during the next few months. During 
1904-1905 a channel was dredged through the pass but was abandoned in 
1906 due to excessive shoaling. North and south stone dikes (1,800 
and 1,400 ft long, respectively) were constructed on each side of the 
pass during 1926-1927. The dikes were not successful in securing an 
increased channel depth (18- by 400-ft channel authorized). 
1933- The existing jetties (Figure 14) authorized by the River and Harbor 
1935 Act of 1930 were constructed near the locations of the 1926-1927 stone 
dikes to lengths of 5,370 and 5,092 ft on the north and south sides, 
respectively. The jetties converge from their landward ends to a 
spacing of 1,200 ft then run parallel for approximately 2,500 ft, 
terminating at the -25 ft mlt contour. The typical cross section 
consisted of a 14-ft crown width at +6 ft mlt, 1V:1.5H side slopes, a 
riprap bedding layer, 15- to 4,000-lb core stone and 6- to 10-ton 
capstone. The jetties were constructed with 418,200 tons of stone at 
a total cost of $2,741,000. 
1936- Stone aprons were placed near the outer ends of both jetties. No 
1937 details are available. Riprap stone totaling 7,400 tons was placed 
at a cost of $47,000. 
1940- Various sections of both jetties totaling 5,690 lin ft were repaired 
1943 using new core and cover stone and resetting existing cover stone. 
Approximately 20,800 tons of new stone were used and 1,570 stones 
reset for a total cost of $244,100. 
1954- The jetties were repaired using new core and 8- to 16-ton cover 
1955 stone, resetting existing cover stone, and capping with concrete. 
The concrete was placed above mlw throughout the void spaces in the 
cover layer, restoring the general crown elevation of the jetties. 
Total cost of the repairs was $859,000 using 20,300 tons of stone and 
placing 6,160 and 3,580 cu yd of concrete on the north and south 
jetties, respectively. “The concrete capping extended from the 
existing shoreline to the jetties' seaward ends (roughly 3,000 lin ft 
on the north and 2,000 lin ft on the south). 
(Continued) 
il 
