The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is the portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is a navigable inland waterway running approximately 1700 kilometers (1050 mi) from Carrabelle, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas.
The waterway provides a channel with a controlling depth of 3.7 meters (12 ft), designed primarily for barge transportation. Although the U.S. government proposals for such a waterway were made in the early 19th century,[1] the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway was not completed until 1949.[2]
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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 . 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).[3]
The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway crosses or meets, and in some cases is confluent with, numerous other navigable rivers and waterways. They include:
Notable ports on or near the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway include: