Houston-based Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp. on Thursday announced it has been awarded several new dredging contracts worth $182 million in total. The awarded work includes coastal protection projects in Florida, New Jersey, New York and South Carolina.
Great lakes said it was awarded a $16.5 million project for the town of Palm Beach, Fla., to perform beach renourishment in Phipps Ocean Park and adjacent areas that were damaged by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. The state and locally funded project will see Great Lakes dredge sand from an offshore borrow area for placement on the dunes to nourish the beach and provide additional coastal protection. Work is expected to start at the end of 2024 with estimated completion in the first quarter of 2025.
In addition, Great Lakes said it was awarded a $73.6 million contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District to provide coastal storm damage reduction by maintaining an engineered beach throughout the Manasquan Inlet to Barnegat Inlet project area. The federally funded project is located along the Atlantic Ocean coastline of Ocean County, N.J., between Manasquan Inlet and Barnegat Inlet. The project area encompasses a total of 13 miles of ocean shoreline which includes the contiguous municipalities of Point Pleasant Beach, Bay Head, Mantoloking, Brick Township, Toms River Township, Lavallette, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park, and Berkeley Township. The project also includes an additional $41.4 million in open options pending award. Work is expected to start in the first quarter of 2025 with estimated completion in the third quarter of 2025.
Great Lake also received a $19.6 million contract to renourish the Sagaponack and Bridgehampton beaches on Long Island, N.Y., to repair the dunes and infrastructure damage that has been impacted by beach erosion, the company said. This project is locally funded. Work is expected to start in the first quarter of 2025 with estimated completion in the second quarter of 2025.
Lastly, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District awarded Great Lakes a $72.3 million contract to place dredged material on Myrtle, Garden City and Surfside beaches, in South Carolina. Work for this federally funded project is expected to start in fourth quarter of 2025 with estimated completion in the first quarter of 2026. Great Lakes noted it performed similar work in these areas in 2007 and 2018.
Lasse Petterson, Great Lakes president and CEO, said, “Our coastlines are facing ongoing damage from storm, rising water levels, and broader impacts of climate change. These coastal protection projects will support revitalizing and enhancing shoreline protections which is a critical infrastructure priority in the United States.”
