Port of Houston approves Bayport contracts

Port of Houston approves Bayport contracts    The Port of Houston Authority commission Monday approved several recommendations involving contract awards, bids and proposals, including a recommendation to award a $62-million contract to Zachry Construction Corp. for wharf construction and dredging at “phase 1A” of the future Bayport Container and Cruise Terminal.
   Separately, Zachry is also involved in negotiations with the Port of Houston Authority involving an estimated $37-million contract for container yard construction at Bayport.
   The port commission also approved a recommendation to award a $30.6-million contract to Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Co. Ltd. for the purchase of four container cranes for the Bayport terminal.
   The commissioners authorized the port authority to issue a new request for qualifications for design/build services for the Bayport mitigation project along Memorial Tract on Red Bluff Road.
   “All previous requests for qualifications and competitive sealed proposals submitted for consideration on this project were rejected and the process will be repeated from the beginning,” the port said.
   Last week, the Port of Houston Authority welcomed 98th District Court Judge W. Jeanne Meurer’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the City of Shoreacres and other groups that challenged the port’s permit for the Bayport terminal. The state court granted the port’s motion to dismiss the challenge.
   The port authority will begin to issue purchase orders for the Bayport project June 1 and expects to prepare for the groundbreaking soon afterward.