Safeguarding coastal navigation and reinforcing storm-damaged shorelines along Long Island’s South Shore, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC has been awarded a $44,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The coastal civil works project finances maintenance dredging of the federal navigation channel and deposition basin at Fire Island Inlet, with dredged material designated for beneficial reuse as beach nourishment along the feeder beach west of the inlet. The contract reaches a total cumulative face value of $46,310,000.

Contract Details: At A Glance

District Context & Mission Impact

This critical coastal storm risk management and navigation maintenance project is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District. The New York District manages extensive coastal protection and navigation infrastructure throughout New York and New Jersey, protecting densely populated barrier island communities from severe Atlantic storms and coastal erosion. Fire Island Inlet is a vital, high-traffic waterway connecting Great South Bay with the Atlantic Ocean, heavily utilized by commercial fishing, charter, and recreational fleets. Severe ocean currents and littoral drift naturally cause heavy sediment shoaling in the inlet, creating hazardous navigation conditions while starving downdrift beaches of vital sand. By removing accumulated sand from the channel and deposition basin and pumping it directly onto the feeder beach west of Fire Island Inlet (such as Gilgo Beach), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers simultaneously restores safe channel navigation and re-establishes protective coastal dunes to buffer barrier island infrastructure against future coastal storms.

Contractor Spotlight & Industry Context

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC is the largest provider of dredging services in the United States, operating an extensive fleet of specialized trailing suction hopper, hydraulic cutterhead, and mechanical dredges. The competitive internet solicitation received three proposals from commercial marine contractors. Placing dredged sand onto feeder beaches requires high-capacity hydraulic pipelines, specialized subsea direct-placement lines, and heavy beach grading equipment to achieve engineered beach berm profiles. Coastal resilience partnerships like this demonstrate the essential role commercial dredging contractors play in maintaining safe navigation channels while actively mitigating coastal erosion along vulnerable coastal communities.