Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp. (GLDD) has recently been awarded several major dredging contracts totaling $138.8 million.

The contracts include:

• Trujillo Alto Design and Build for the Lago Loiza (Carraízo) Dredging Project (maintenance, Puerto Rico, $93.1 million),

• Townsends Inlet to Cape May Inlet Project (coastal protection, New Jersey, $28.8 million),

• Palm Beach Harbor Maintenance Dredging Project (maintenance, Florida, $11 million),

• South Boca Raton Beach Renourishment Project (coastal protection, Florida, $5.9 million).

The Trujillo Alto Design and Build for the Lago Loiza (Carraízo) Dredging Project includes dredging in the reservoir area, preparation and construction of the work area, and storage and handling of materials. The project also includes the preparation and rehabilitation of disposal areas for the extracted sediments, installation of sediment pumping pipes from the dredging area in the reservoir to the disposal areas of dams, and the management of dredged sediments in the dike area and disposal of clarified water back to the reservoir. The dredging of the Carraízo reservoir, which is located in the Río Grande de Loíza, is the largest source of drinking water supply for the area.

The project is estimated to benefit approximately 171,000 families in the municipalities of San Juan, Trujillo Alto. The contract was awarded to GLDD by the Puerto Rico Aqueduct & Sewer Authority (PRASA) and is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Work is expected to begin in the spring with estimated completion in the spring of 2025.

The Townsends Inlet to Cape May Inlet Project, awarded in December 2022, consists of beachfill placement along the Atlantic Ocean coastline in the Boroughs of Avalon and Stone Harbor, N.J., to restore beaches and protect the shoreline. The contract was awarded to GLDD by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District. Work is expected to be completed this spring.

The Palm Beach Harbor Maintenance Dredging Project entails dredging material from the entrance channel and settlement basin and beneficially placing material on the adjacent beach. This is also an Corps of Engineers contract. Work was started and completed in the first quarter 2023.

The South Boca Raton Beach Renourishment Project entails the placement of sand along the beach beginning at the Boca Raton Inlet and extending to the Palm Beach County border as well as open options for beach renourishment at Hillsboro and Deerfield beaches. The contract was awarded to GLDD by South Boca Raton, Fla., and is locally funded. Work is expected to be completed thisspring.

“Great Lakes is pleased to add the above projects to our backlog of coastal protection and maintenance dredging projects,” Dave Johanson, senior vice president, project acquisitions and operations for GLDD said in a statement. “We continue to see severe weather batter our coasts, so there is a great need for the above listed projects and similar projects to continue to support the overall improvement and resiliency of our country's environment, coastlines and infrastructure.”