$148.6 Million Dredging Contract Awarded In Los Angele

A $148.6 million contract for the largest dredging and landfill project in the U.S. was awarded by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners to The Pier 400 Constructors, a joint venture of Great Lakes Dredging & Dock Co. and Connolly- Pacific Co.

The dredging project is the cornerstone of the Port of Los Angeles Pier 300/400 Implementation Program, an expansion project to help accommodate an expected doubling of cargo by the year 2020. The three-year dredging project, which is scheduled to begin this August, will generate a total of 4,200 direct and indirect jobs in the region, with 2,100 jobs created during the peak year of construction in 1995. Total regional industry sales are expected to amount to nearly $215 million. The dredging of 30 million cubic yards of material will produce water depths of 45 to 63 ft. (13.7 to 19.2 m) to accommodate deep-draft containerships and dry bulk vessels. The dredged material will be contained behind rock dikes, creating a 265-acre portion of a new land mass called Pier 400. The new land in the Port's outer harbor will be available for future terminal developments as part of the total 582 acres planned for Pier 400. This program includes the construction of the American President Lines Container Terminal, reportedly the largest facility of its kind in the nation; the Los Angeles Export Terminal, a state-of-the-art dry export facility; and an intermodal container transfer facility.