Posted on October 5, 2022
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New York District, announces the second contract award for the major coastal-storm risk management project known as the Fire Island to Montauk Point (FIMP) Project. The $24,498,050 contract was awarded to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company LLC, of Houston, TX.
This contract will hydraulically dredge more than 320,000 cubic yards of sand from Shinnecock and Moriches Inlets and strategically place it on updrift and downdrift beaches to reduce erosion and strengthen coastal resiliency. The FIMP Project is designed to reduce flood risk for Long Islanders along vulnerable areas of 83 miles of coastline in Suffolk County from Fire Island Inlet to Montauk Point.
“Awarding this contract allows our District to continue construction on this vital project and provide additional coastal-storm risk reduction measures for residents of these communities,” said COL Matthew Luzzatto, commander, New York District. “We still have a lot of work to do, but this award marks the continuation of our commitment to tackling the toughest engineering challenges in the Nation. I would like to thank all our partners at the federal, state, and local levels for their tremendous support.” [DRAFT]
The work is a continuation of a comprehensive, multi-year $1.7 billion project that includes a variety of features to reduce coastal flood risks. The work is fully federally funded under Public Law 113-2, the Emergency Supplemental Bill passed shortly after Superstorm Sandy. The project will undertake the following:
- Structure elevations and building retrofits for approximately 4,400 structures within the 10-year floodplain, and localized acquisition in areas subject to high-frequency flooding with the reestablishment of natural floodplain functions
- A four-pronged Breach Response Plan for barrier islands evaluating potential actions for breaches that result from severe storms and tidal surges
- Beach and dune fill on shorefronts, with renourishment approximately every four (4) years for up to 30 years after project completion
- Feeder beach construction every four (4) years for up to 30 years at Montauk Beach. (A feeder beach is an artificially widened beach that nourishes down-drift beaches)
- Adaptive management to ensure sand volume and placement configurations accomplish design objectives of offsetting long-term erosion
- Removal of the existing groins/jetties at Ocean Beach on Fire Island
- Coastal process features for 12 barrier island, and two mainland locations. Sediment will be placed along the barrier island bayside shoreline over the life of the project to reestablish coastal processes meeting the objective of no loss of habitat or sediment
- Integration of local land-use regulations and management
The US Army Corps of Engineers New York District will lead construction efforts in concert with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), the non-federal sponsor, in cooperation with Suffolk County, the Towns of Babylon, Islip, Brookhaven, Southampton and Easthampton who were the signatories on the Project Partnership Agreement and local agreements executed over the last two months that have brought the FIMP project to fruition. The Corps will also be closely working with the National Park Service (NPS), Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) who are important partners in ensuring protection of endangered species and environmental sensitivity are paramount as the partner agencies address costal storm risk vulnerability along the Atlantic Ocean shoreline.
