Regional planners have secured funding to revive a long-stalled feasibility study for a water taxi service on Clear Lake, with League City's Historic District named as a key destination.

Harris County Precinct 2 will seek bids for the updated study, Amy Skicki, president and CEO of the Bay Area Houston Transportation Partnership, told Community Impact. Skicki confirmed funding is in place, though no dollar amount or bid timeline has been announced.

The proposed service would carry passengers across Clear Lake between League City, Seabrook and Nassau Bay, offering an alternative to driving or ride-hailing. Skicki said she hopes the study will also identify how to connect a trolley service to the water taxi routes, bringing riders to attractions including NASA and League City's Historic District.

The study will examine whether the service should be privately operated, fare-based or folded into a larger transit network, according to Skicki.

A project 18 years in the making

Seabrook funded the original feasibility study in 2008. Hurricane Ike stalled that effort the same year. The idea sat dormant until about three years ago, when regional tourism and economic development stakeholders asked the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) to update the study, officials said.

The Bay Area Houston Transportation Partnership and H-GAC are now leading the revival effort, according to Stephanie Polk, communications and community engagement manager for Visit League City, a department of League City's city government.

"It's just a neat attraction, and something that would capitalize on one of our biggest assets: the Clear Lake area," Polk said.

Multiple agencies must cooperate

Because the routes would cross several city boundaries and waterways, planners need buy-in from multiple partners, Polk said. That includes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees waterway use and dredging permits.

The water taxi concept has been gaining momentum among regional leaders. In a July 21 Community Impact article about Bay Area tourism competition, Skicki described the vision in practical terms: residents hopping on a water taxi, crossing the lake for dinner and riding back home the same evening.

No public comment period, next meeting date or formal milestone for the study process has been announced.