Transportation is a defining strength of the Baytown area, giving businesses easy access to the rest of the country and the world via air, sea and land.
Baytown is just minutes away from one of the most vital economic engines of the Houston area – the Port of Houston.
More than 150 terminals make up the Port of Houston, which covers 25 miles of the 52-mile-long Houston Ship Channel. The port is the busiest on the U.S. Gulf Coast and is the nation’s largest port for foreign waterborne tonnage.
For the fiscal year 2019, the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority projected six percent revenue growth, supporting a capital budget of $287 million. The commission is dedicated to reinvesting funds with the goal of building business at the port for years to come. The vision of the commission is to be “America’s distribution hub for the next generation.”
Port of Houston also is an important jobs creator for the area, supporting the creation of nearly 1.175 million jobs in Texas and 2.7 million jobs nationwide. Its economic activity totals almost $265 billion in Texas and more than $617 billion in economic impact across the nation.
Houston is the only city in Texas with two airports offering international service and one of only eight in the U.S. There are about 30 airlines providing service to Houston’s airports, going to more than 240 domestic and international destinations.
Baytown is within close proximity of two of Houston’s largest airports – about 30 minutes from William P. Hobby Airport and 45 minutes from George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Hobby Airport became the first major commercial airport in Houston airport in 1937, with George Bush Intercontinental Airport opening in 1969.
Hobby Airport, which served more than 13 million passengers in 2017, also offers some air cargo service. The airport is presently served by four passenger airlines reaching about 60 non-stop destinations around the world. The runways range from 4,500 to 7,600 feet in length. Hobby Airport opened its international concourse in 2015, offering flights to Latin America and the Caribbean.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport, the largest airport in Houston, offers both air passenger and air cargo service. More than 40 million passengers visited the airport in 2017. The airport is served by 26 passenger airlines, has 185 non-stop destinations and is the top long-haul international airport in the area.
Business travelers who are coming into town on their company planes or personal aircraft might prefer Baytown Airport, which is 5 miles north of the Baytown main business district. The 125-acre, privately owned airport has several thousand aircraft use its runway every year, an average of about four dozen per day.
Baytown is strategically located to offer the best of all possible worlds for transporting industrial products. Over-the-road transportation is facilitated by the city’s location on Interstate 10, a major highway across the southern United States that provides easy access to major north and south arteries.
Ready access to the many chemical processing plants along the Houston Ship Channel is provided by the Fred Hartman Bridge, which accommodates approximately 300,000 cars daily. The eight-lane bridge across the Houston Ship Channel connects Baytown to every major trucking line serving the Houston area.
Baytown is also served by Union Pacific rail lines.
Those who prefer the more relaxed pace of water travel can take the oldest operating ferry in Texas. The Lynchburg Ferry, which began operations in 1824, still shuttles passengers across the mouth of the San Jacinto River at no cost.