The Harris County Flood Control District is exploring the possibility of building massive, underground tunnels to carry flood waters from several Houston-area bayous toward the Houston Ship Channel.

The project -- one of the most ambitious and costly proposals in the wake of Hurricane Harvey -- could dramatically reduce the flood risk for thousands living along the bayous. The full project, which promises to cost billions of dollars and take several years to complete, would allow major Houston-area waterways to contain a "100-year storm" within their banks, said Matt Zeve, director of operations at the district.

"What the flood control district has been doing for decades doesn't occur fast enough or it doesn't have the benefits that the public really wants," Zeve said. "We've been challenged to try to think of new ideas and new strategies and this is an answer to that challenge."

The waterways included in the proposed project include White Oak Bayou, Hunting Bayou, Greens Bayou, Halls Bayou, Buffalo Bayou, Clear Creek and Cypress Creek. None currently is able to hold a 100-year storm.

READ: Despite massive projects to upgrade Houston bayous, thousands remain in floodplains

The first step will be to conduct a feasibility study to see if the project can actually work, Zeve said. It would involve complex machines digging the tunnels 100 to 200 feet underground. Zeve said the construction would not disrupt anything happening on the surface.

The proposed feasibility study is on the agenda for Tuesday's Harris County Commissioners Court meeting.

If approved, that study would be complete by October, Zeve said.

It is unclear how such a project, which Zeve said would cost billions of dollars, could be funded. He said the district hopes to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state to possibly help pay for it.