U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Readies for Mid-Atlantic Civil Works

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, has received more than $218 million in funding for numerous infrastructure improvement, dredging and environmental projects benefiting Maryland, Pennsylvania, southern New York, and the District of Columbia.

The financing includes $62 million towards Baltimore Harbor operations and maintenance and $71.9 million for the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island project.

This funding is through the fiscal year 2025 Work Plan for the Army Civil Works Program, which is Congressionally authorized funding specifically for USACE. USACE is required to submit a Work Plan to Congress annually following the final passage of an appropriations bill. USACE, working with the Office of Management and Budget, determines the allocation of these funds.

“This funding is vital for us to execute important projects and services throughout the Susquehanna, Potomac, and Chesapeake Bay watersheds,” said Baltimore District Commander Col. Francis Pera. “It is an investment in the American people that allows us to uphold public safety and maintain critical infrastructure to support our local and national economies.”

Work eligible for consideration generally includes projects, programs and activities funded in the three previous fiscal years with emphasis on ongoing work that can attain a significant milestone or produce significant outputs in the fiscal year.

Baltimore District Funding Highlights:

• Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Project, Maryland – $71.9 million toward James Island construction completion, part of a long-term strategy for providing viable placement alternatives that meet the dredging needs of the Port of Baltimore while maximizing the use of dredged materials as a beneficial Chesapeake Bay ecosystem resource.  

• Baltimore Harbor and Channels, Maryland – $61 million towards routine operation and maintenance activities that support safe navigation to and from the Port of Baltimore, including dredging that provides for 50-foot deep main shipping channels from the Virginia Capes to Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor.  

• Poplar Island, Maryland - $10 million towards construction management, monitoring, coordination, and cell development contracts as well as dredge material inflow on the Talbot County island, a national model for habitat restoration and the beneficial use of dredged material.  

• Ocean City Harbor/Inlet and Sinepuxent Bay, Maryland - $9.6 million towards maintenance dredging of the Ocean City Inlet and Sinepuxent Bay federal navigation channels to manage the dynamic shoaling conditions of the inlet to ensure safe navigation, while supporting the local economy and U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue mission.

• Fishing Creek, Maryland - $9 million towards work activities including south jetty repair.

• Baltimore Coastal Storm Risk Management Project, Maryland - $4 million to initiate and complete the preconstruction engineering and design phase for the I-895 portion of the project, which aims to add structural floodwalls to manage coastal storm damage risk and flooding to the tunnel entrances and associated critical facilities to improve infrastructure resiliency in the metro region.     

• Wicomico River, Maryland - $5 million towards maintenance dredging for the Federal navigation channel in Wicomico County, to ensure vessels can continue safely carrying fuel, materials and agricultural supplies to and from Eastern Shore communities.

• Rock Harbor, Maryland - $4 million towards maintenance dredging of Rock Hall Harbor, one of the largest federal harbors for recreational boaters in the Chesapeake Bay that hosts several marinas and is home to fishing and sailing charters, as well as watermen engaged in crabbing, oystering and fishing.    

• Baltimore and DC Drift removal - $2.6 million toward patrol and debris removal within the Patapsco River and its tributaries in an area covering 24 square miles, as well as the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers covering 27 miles around the Nation’s Capital.

• Jennings Randolph Lake (JRL) Dam, Maryland and West Virginia - $14.3 million towards operations and maintenance of JRL dam, located between Garrett County, Maryland, and Mineral County, West Virginia, including replacement of port gate seals and airduct insulation, as well as replacement of comfort station vault tanks at Shaw Beach.

• Southern New York Flood Risk Management Projects - $4.89 million towards operations and maintenance of Almond, Arkport, East Sydney Lake and Whitney Point Lake dams and southern New York Levees, providing comprehensive flood damage reduction for the protection of neighboring and downstream communities.

• Pennsylvania Flood Risk Management Projects - $18.95 million toward operations and maintenance of 11 dams across Pennsylvania that provide flood damage reduction, outdoor recreation activities and natural resource opportunities; including $5.4 million for bridge inspections at Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County and $3.1 million for outlet works gates and hoists systems at Indian Rock Dam in York.