$40 Mil. bid awarded for Barren Island protection construction

MARYLAND- The US Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore Division is announcing a 43.1 million dollar grant to help protect barrier islands in the Chesapeake Bay.

The bid was awarded to the engineering firm Coastal Design & Construction to build a physical wall in the waters that surround Barren island; preventing the island from being swept away by waves.

The project is similar to what was done on Poplar island, and James Island Project is slated for 2025.

The USACE  say with the waves hitting those walls on the perimeter– the island can be protected against the current bay- and the effects of climate change.

“This will encase the island in stone structures so those structures can be more robust than previously what was there, considering for sea level rise, and these will be built much larger to further reduce wave energy there,” said spokesman Trevor Cyran. 

They anticipate the work to begin in November but due to the dangers of working in the bay during winter, a spring start date is also on the table.