Army Corps News

“The enormity of this disaster is hard to imagine without seeing it in person…It may sound dramatic but given the wreckage field created by the collapsed bridge, the environment divers are working in, and the dangers posed to them, is like cleaning the site of 9/11 with blinders on.” - Rick Benoit, Emergency Management specialist at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) North Atlantic Division (NAD), from USACE news report.Col. Estee Pinchasin is commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District.

Houston-based dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation, on Monday announced the receipt of several dredging awards totaling $256.2 million.The awarded work includes:Mobile Harbor, Alabama Deepening and Widening – Phase 2A Dredging Project (Capital, Alabama, $65.9 million)The Mobile Harbor, Alabama Deepening and Widening Dredging Project 2A, involves deepening the channel by six feet to improve channel navigation to allow deeper draft vessels use of the port and to reuse material for beneficial use in the Sand Island Beneficial Use Area. The client on this project is the U.S.

Royal Van der Leun, based in the Netherlands, announced it will supply equipment for a new hopper dredge being built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City, Fla., for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).Scheduled for delivery in 2027, the 320-foot vessel, with a hopper capacity of 6,000 cubic yards will join the USACE’s Ready Reserve Fleet, replacing the USACE Philadelphia District's high-powered deep draft hopper dredge McFarland, built in 1967.For the design, Eastern worked with longtime partner Royal IHC, headquartered in the Netherlands.

Three major projects related to long-term dredge material management at the Port of Mobile are moving forward in Congress.In partnership with the Alabama Port Authority and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) has been working over the last year to secure additional beneficial use opportunities related to the Port of Mobile’s ship channel deepening and widening project and ongoing ship channel maintenance.These projects include an additional $47 million for USACE operations and maintenance of the Mobile Ship Channel…

Governor Jeff Landry, alongside representatives from the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and various federal, state and local officials, marked a milestone with the groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 2 of the Houma Navigation Canal (HNC) Lock Complex.Featured in Louisiana's 2023 Coastal Master Plan and the recently approved Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Plan, the HNC Lock Complex is a crucial element of the Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Protection system.

Hillside, N.J.-based dredging and marine services contractor Donjon Marine has been awarded a contract to perform maintenance dredging in Newark, N.J.The $32,334,174 firm-fixed-price contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District. Donjon was one of two bidders for the project.Work is expected to wrap up by October 23, 2024.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District (SWG) on Monday awarded a $104 million contract to Galveston-based dredging contractor Callan Marine for the deepening of the Brazos Island Harbor (BIH) Ship Channel in South Texas.In partnership with the Port of Brownsville, USACE will deepen a 13-mile stretch of the ship channel by 10 feet, bringing the authorized depth to 52 feet. This phase of the project is referred to as BIH Segment B.Callan Marine will remove approximately 7 million cubic yards of material using a pipeline dredge…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District said it is expediting the opening of a 100-foot-wide navigation channel through the dam at Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 near Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, by August 28.On July 15, the Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 staff near Elizabeth, Pa., discovered an issue with the water level in the primary lock chamber. The district implemented a 7-foot-draft restriction.The navigation industry continues to utilize the lock chamber…

The Old Hickory Lock on the Cumberland River is scheduled to reopen to commercial marine navigational the coming days after being drained for inspection and maintenance.Workers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District recently closed and dewatered the 70-year-old lock to examine the condition of its components under the river's surface.Joe Adawag, civil engineer technician with the Nashville District Navigation Branch Lock Section, said equipment mechanics have…

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Major General William H. “Butch” Graham Jr. as the 56th chief of engineers and commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Graham is currently serving as the deputy chief of engineers and deputy commanding general for civil works and emergency operations. His long Army career includes leadership positions supporting both civil works and military construction.He will succeed Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon, whose four-year term as chief ends on September 13.“MG(P) Graham has both a depth and breadth of experience across the Regiment and the Army.

Seattle based dredging and marine construction contractor Manson Construction has been awarded a contract worth more than $9 million to perform maintenance dredging in Coos Bay, Ore.The $9,285,000 firm-fixed-price contract was awarded by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Portland District. Manson was one of two bidders for the project.The dredging work is scheduled to be completed by October 31, 2024.

Hillside, N.J. based marine services provider Donjon Marine has been awarded a contract worth more than $19 million for harbor maintenance dredging in New York and New Jersey.The $19,037,475 firm-fixed-price contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' New York District. Donjon was one of two bidders for the project.Work will be performed in Hudson, N.J., with an estimated completion date of October 31, 2024.

Charleston, S.C. based dredging contractor Marinex Construction has been awarded a $22,826,500 firm-fixed-price contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform maintenance dredging in Savannah, Ga.Marinex was one of two bidders for the project.The work in the Savannah Harbor deep draft navigation project is scheduled to be completed by July 11, 2025Up to four million cubic yards of material may be dredged, and dredged sediments will be placed in upland confined disposal areas owned by various state and local entities along the Savannah River, according to the Corps.

The Holt Lock on the Black Warrior River in Holt, Ala. is expected to be closed for as long as five more months after cracks and leaks were discovered within the lock infrastructure.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed the lock on June 22 following an initial stability analysis performed by the Mobile District Engineering team."The analysis, which utilized known data and certain assumptions, revealed critical stability issues with the monolith structure of the Holt Lock," the Corps said.

The U.S. Army has selected Maj. Gen William H. "Butch" Graham Jr. to be its next chief of engineers and commanding general of the Corps of Engineers, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced on July 10.Graham is currently serving as the deputy chief of engineers and deputy commanding general for civil works and emergency operations. His long Army career includes leadership positions supporting both civil works and military construction.If confirmed by the Senate, Graham would succeed Lt. Gen. Scott A.

Electrical issues have forced the closure of a lock and dam on the Upper Mississippi River near Minneapolis, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' St. Paul District announced on Monday.The Corps said its crews are working to fix the issues, which are affecting the fourth dam gate at the Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam.The Corps said the lock and dam will be closed to vessel traffic until further notice but that it hopes to resume service as soon as possible.

Chesapeake, Va. based Norfolk Dredging Co. has been awarded a contract to perform maintenance dredging in Fire Island, N.Y.The $36,978,060 firm-fixed-price contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' New York District. Norfolk Dredging was one of three bidders for the job.The work is expected to be completed by November 9, 2024.

This week's reopening of Baltimore's main shipping channel - less than three months after the Key Bridge collapse - was due to expertise gained from a COVID-era task force, a highway overpass collapse and the 2021 infrastructure law, government officials said.The deadly March 26 collision of the cargo ship Dali into the Francis Scott Key Bridge had paralyzed a major transportation artery for the U.S. Northeast.Within hours, President Joe Biden directed aides to get the channel reopened, the bridge rebuilt and vowed the federal government would cover the full costs.

Federal agencies said on Monday they have restored full access for commercial maritime transit through the Port of Baltimore after the removal of 50,000 tons of debris from the March 26 collapse of the Key Bridge.The cargo ship Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March in Baltimore, killing six people and paralyzing a major transportation artery for the U.S. Northeast. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said a survey on Monday certified the riverbed as safe for transit…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will continue repairing its Duluth southern Vessel Yard Pier with Phase 2 beginning in July.Repairs this year are estimated to end around November and resume Spring 2025 with completion in the Spring of 2026.Michels Construction Inc. of Brownsville, Wisconsin was awarded the contract for encasing the existing south pier and slip headwall structures with steel sheeting and piling, site lighting, storm drainage, shore power improvements, replacement of bollards with helical pile foundations and concrete paving.

Charleston, S.C. based dredging contractor Southern Dredging Co. Inc. has been awarded a $9.6 million contract to perform maintenance dredging in St. Marys, Ga.The firm-fixed-price contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Jacksonville District.Work is expected to be completed by March 26, 2025.

An oil spill from a runaway barge that struck a bridge near Galveston has been contained, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday.At approximately 10 a.m. Wednesday, Martin Marine's barge MMLP 321 broke loose due to a break in the coupling and allided with the Pelican Island Causeway bridge, which connects Galveston Island and Pelican Island in Texas.There were no reports of injuries or any people in the water, officials said.One of the barge's cargo tanks became compromised as a result of the allision, causing an unknown quantity of vacuum gas oil to spill into the water.

Recovery teams refloated a large containership impeding shipping in the Port of Baltimore early on Monday and began pulling it free of the main channel, two months after the vessel crashed into the Francis Scott Key bridge and caused the span to collapse.Tugboats were leading the Dali to a local marine terminal after a successful effort to make the container ship buoyant at about 6:40 a.m. EDT (1040 GMT), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said on social media platform X.The removal…