  Pelican Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Galveston Bay |
| Coordinates | 29°19′55″N94°48′22″W / 29.332°N 94.806°W /29.332; -94.806 |
| Area | 6.4 sq mi (17 km2) |
| Length | 2.85 mi (4.59 km) |
| Width | 2.67 mi (4.3 km) |
| Highest elevation | 20 ft (6 m) |
| Administration | |
United States | |
| State | Texas |
| County | Galveston County |
| Largest settlement | Part of the City of Galveston (pop. 57,523) |
Pelican Island is an island located inGalveston County, Texas. It is part of the city ofGalveston and is linked toGalveston Island by the Pelican Islandcauseway. The island is home to theTexas A&M University at Galveston as well as twomuseum ships—thedestroyer escortUSS Stewart (DE-238) and thesubmarineUSS Cavalla (SS-244)—andSeawolf Park. Seawolf Parkway is the only street that runs across the island.
In 1965, Galveston businessmanGeorge Mitchell purchased a large parcel of land on Pelican Island and donated some of it for the permanent home of Texas A&M University at Galveston. TheIntracoastal Waterway borders it to the north, separating Pelican Island from another island.[1]
On May 15, 2024, a tugboat leaving Texas International Terminals, a container terminal next to the Pelican Island causeway, the only bridge connecting the island to the rest of Galveston, lost control of two barges it was pushing. One of the barges, operated by Martin Operating Partnership, then hit the bridge and two telephone poles at approximately 10:00 CDT (3:00 GMT) collapsing a portion of the bridge, causing adiesel fuel spill, and causing a temporary power outage on the island. Two people were knocked off of the barge or jumped off, but they were quickly rescued. As a result of the collision, the bridge was closed.[2] The barge, which reportedly has a capacity of 30,000 U.S. gal (110,000 L), spilled between 1,000 U.S. gal (3,800 L) and 2,000 U.S. gal (7,600 L) of oil. Some spilled oil stayed on top of the barge and did not leak into the water.[3]
An approximate 6.5 mi (10.5 km) span of theGulf Intracoastal Waterway was shut down around the bridge in order to help crews clean up the oil spill. Galveston County officials began evacuations for the approximately 200 people who were on the island at the time of the collapse for anyone who needed to leave the island, but warned that they would be unlikely to be able to return in the near future.[4]
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| "Principal" cities | ||
| Other cities |
For a complete listing, seelist of cities and towns in Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land MSA | |
| Unincorporated areas | ||
| Bodies of water | ||
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