West Calcasieu Port to Undergo Waterfront Upgrade
West Calcasieu Port officials have awarded a $1.6 million construction contract to Orion Marine Construction, Inc. for the replacement of bulkheading along the port’s waterfront on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
“The West Cal Port Board of Commissioners was impressed with the strong interest and participation in the highly competitive bidding process on the part of the marine construction industry,” said West Calcasieu Port Director Lynn Hohensee. “Seven bids were received.”
The bids were formally opened during a special port board meeting earlier in March.
“Incorporated in the construction project plan is the replacement of aged, deteriorated bulkhead with new steel bulkhead,” Hohensee explained.
Underscoring the business-case need for the expanded barge basin, Hohensee noted that servicing commercial barge transportation operations along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is a critical component of the port's operations, and that the port has experienced an increased occupancy rate for its marine services facilities.
West Cal Port Engineer Chuck Stutes of Sulphur-based Meyer & Associates, Inc. has estimated that approximately 300 linear feet of 600-foot length of steel bulkheading will replace aged infrastructure that was installed in the 1970s.
Significant funding support for the $1,589,632.10 construction contract will come from a $1,305,000 Capital Outlay Grant from the State of Louisiana.
Located on 190 acres 12 miles south of Interstate 10 just west of Highway 27, the West Cal Port has 7,000 feet of waterfront property on the GIWW.
Current tenant activity includes barge fleeting operations, dry-cargo barge cleaning, diesel engine repair, maritime construction operations, concrete manufacturing and concrete pumping services.
