Ensuring navigable draft depths along key lower Mississippi River shipping channels, removing accumulated silt and sand shoals, and supporting critical deep-draft maritime commerce, Manson Construction Co. has been awarded a $17,316,250 firm-fixed-price contract. The civil works navigation action finances maintenance dredging of shoal material and sediment disposal at designated management sites near Belle Chasse, Louisiana.

Contract Details: At A Glance

District Context & Mission Impact

This essential navigation maintenance project is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District. The New Orleans District manages one of the most critical marine transportation systems in the world, maintaining the lower Mississippi River deep-draft navigation channel that connects America’s agricultural and industrial heartland to global trade markets. Rapidly shifting river currents and heavy seasonal sediment loads cause severe shoaling along key bends and reaches near Belle Chasse. Dredging accumulated shoals restores authorized channel dimensions, eliminates hazards for deep-draft cargo ships and ocean tankers, and protects vital waterborne supply chains through autumn 2027.

Contractor Spotlight & Industry Context

Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Manson Construction Co. is an employee-owned national leader in heavy marine civil construction, trailing suction hopper dredging, cutterhead pipeline dredging, and offshore marine infrastructure development. Bids were solicited via the internet with six competitive proposals received. Executing high-volume shoal dredging on the swift-flowing Mississippi River requires heavy hopper dredges or large cutterhead pipeline plants, precise real-time hydrographic surveying, strict river traffic coordination with river pilots, and designated placement management. Partnering top-tier dredging contractors with USACE river navigation managers keeps the nation’s primary maritime artery open for business.