Army Corps Awards Contract for Corpus Christi Channel Improvement
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on Friday awarded a $139 million construction contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC. (GLDD), to complete the third phase of the landmark Port of Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project (CIP). The four-phase infrastructure project will increase the Corpus Christi Ship Channel depth from -47 feet Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) to -54 feet MLLW and widen it to 530 feet, with an additional 400 feet of barge shelves.Phase 3 will extend west of the La Quinta Junction through the Chemical Turning Basin in the Port’s Inner Harbor.
US Dredging Needs Growth as Army Corps’ Budget Shrinks
Spend dollars up on dredging, cubic yards moved down. Combined with a reduction in the USACE federal budget, the situation threatens a perfect storm for domestic requirements. U.S. dredging this decade, measured in cubic yards, is only half as active as it was in the early 1960s, with maintenance down slightly since then and new work off considerably, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or USACE. The nation’s spending on dredging in unadjusted dollars has swelled tenfold since the 1960’s, however.
Miami Harbor Dredging: GLDD Receives Further US$51.9-million
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (GLDD), says it has received the payment from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Jacksonville District which will bring the total value of GLDD’s Miami contract up to $174.1 million. There is $31.6 million remaining to be awarded under the current plan of the Corps. This option, which is the first of two options for the project, covers the dredging of Fisherman's Channel and Lummus Island Turning Basin, as well as dredging the adjacent berthing areas.
