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Phase 3 & 4 of Barrier Island Project Funded by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced the award of a $56.6 million contract to carry out Phases 3 and 4 of a barrier island restoration project on Ship Island.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fixed-price contract is part of the Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program, a comprehensive initiative authorized and funded by Congress to aid in the recovery of portions of coastal Mississippi severely damaged during the 2005 hurricane season. The Corps of Engineers developed the comprehensive plan in conjunction with other federal and state agencies.
“Mississippi’s barrier islands serve as our first line of defense. The restoration of Ship Island as a protective barrier island is a significant project that can help improve the safety of the coast and the health of the Mississippi Sound,” Hyde-Smith said. “I’m pleased that work on the next two phases of this project should be completed in the coming year.”
Phase 3 of the project will entail placing approximately 2.3 million cubic yards of sand on the southern shoreline of the eastern end of Ship Island. The fourth phase would involve applying approximately 1.2 million cubic yards of sand to the northern shoreline in an area formally known as the Camille Cut. The estimated completion date is mid-September 2020.
Overall, the comprehensive barrier island efforts will encompass the placement of approximately 22 million cubic yards of sand within the National Park Service’s Gulf Islands National Seashore to provide significant storm damage reduction, recreation, and fishery benefits to the Mississippi Sound.
The Illinois-based Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC received the contract, which was subject to a competitive solicitation process.
