The Ike Dike is a coastal barrier that, when completed, would protect the Houston-Galveston region including Galveston Bay from hurricane storm surge.
The project was conceived by Professor Bill Merrell of Texas A&M University at Galveston in response to the extensive surge damage caused by Hurricane Ike in September of 2008. The project would extend the protection afforded by the existing Galveston Seawall along the rest of Galveston Island and along the Bolivar Peninsula, with a 17ft high revetment near the beach or raising the coastal highways. The addition of flood gates at Bolivar Roads, the entrance to the Houston, Texas City, and Galveston ship channels, and at San Luis pass would complete a coastal spine that would provide a barrier against all Gulf surges into the Bay. Merrell argues that the Ike Dike could be built using existing, proven technology such as the gates and barriers currently used in the Delta Works project located in the Netherlands.
