U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Awards $53M Contract for James Island Project
Image Courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District
DORCHESTER COUNTY, Md. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, awarded $53.83 million for restoration work at James Island in Dorchester County as part of the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration project.
The funding has been awarded through a base contract to C&C Joint Ventures, LLC, of Gloucester, Virginia, who will conduct the first phase of restoration work on the island. Their work will include mobilization, hydrographic surveys, perimeter dike construction, dredging and the creation of a sand stockpile to be used for future dike construction work.
Construction activities are expected to begin in late April. Mariners are urged to use extreme caution and reduce speeds surrounding the James Island Construction Safety Zone, and fully avoid the area within the zone, as underwater construction activities may cause damage to vessels, as well as boating and fishing equipment.
“We are proud to announce this contract award which supports vital maintenance dredging for the approach channels leading to the Port of Baltimore,” said Baltimore District Commander Colonel Frank Pera. “Our continued partnership with the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Port Administration on Mid-Bay (MDOT MPA) will build on innovative and proven solutions that serve and strengthen national security and will energize the economy, while also benefitting the Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystem for generations to come. It is a win-win project.”
The Mid-Bay project, a 65 percent federal, 35 percent state cost-share partnership with MDOT MPA, includes restoration of 2,072 acres of lost remote island habitat on James Island and 72 acres of remote island habitat on Barren Island, also located in Dorchester County. The restoration is completed through using material dredged from the Port of Baltimore approach channels and shallow draft federal navigation channels, respectively. Habitat may include mudflats, low marsh, high marsh, islands, ponds, channels and upland areas. Upon completion, James Island will be 55 percent wetlands and 45 percent upland area, with an upland dike height of approximately 20 feet.
Barren Island is anticipated to begin acceptance of Honga River dredged material in fall 2026, with James Island accepting dredged material around 2030, after wetland cell construction efforts to contain the material are completed. The Mid-Bay project is anticipated to be completed in 2067 – providing more than 30 years of capacity to place nearly 95 million cubic yards of dredged material.
