The U.S. Coast Guard has contracted with two builders to spiff up a pair of its East Coast bases.
The maritime agency awarded Baltimore-based Whiting-Turner two contracts totalling $516.7 million and selected Birmingham, Alabama-based Brasfield & Gorrie for an additional, $95.5 million job.
Work will take place at the Coast Guard’s Training Center Cape May in New Jersey, as well as Base Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina.
In New Jersey, Whiting-Turner will design and construct new facilities at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, according to a May 7 announcement. The contract’s value can extend up to $400 million.
The complex, also known as TRACEN Cape May, can currently train up to 5,500 recruits annually without relying on temporary modifications. Once upgrades are completed, that number will rise to 8,000 by 2030, per the announcement. Planned projects at the center include:
- Construction of barracks buildings to accommodate the increase in recruits.
- Construction of a new multi-purpose training facility housing seamanship training, an indoor graduation space, an indoor track and a new drill hall.
- Construction of a new fire station, which will replace a building from the 1920s with new state-of-the-art ventilation systems that allow all fire apparatus to be stored together and indoors.
- Construction of a new VIP review stand, grandstands with cantilevered shading and a new parade path.
- Construction of a new galley.
- Demolition of two existing barracks, James and Healy Halls.
Funding for the upgrades comes from the Working Families Tax Cut Act, itself a provision of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act. The project represents the largest shore construction award in the Coast Guard’s history, according to the announcement.
“By improving infrastructure and quality of life, we are not only strengthening our workforce but also enhancing our readiness and ability to carry out critical missions that protect the nation’s maritime interests,” said Capt. Amanda Lee, commanding officer of Training Center Cape May, in the news release.
In South Carolina, Whiting-Turner will conduct a full recapitalization of Base Charleston’s Pier Mike under a $116.7 million, fixed-price, design-build contract, according to a Monday announcement. The project includes demolition of the existing pier and replacing it with a structure designed to homeport four offshore patrol cutters and one visiting cutter. Each berth will also be capable of mooring national security cutters, enhancing strategic flexibility for the fleet. Contract completion is expected in 2030.
The Coast Guard has also tapped Brasfield & Gorrie at Base Charleston for a $95.5 million project to design and build a 30,000-square-foot combined medical and dental facility, as well as a new entry control point and visitor’s center. That job is scheduled for completion by July 2029.
The awards mark continued relationships between the Coast Guard and the two contractors.
Last September, the Coast Guard tapped the contractor for two construction projects: a $137 million contract to modernize the branch’s Base Seattle in Washington and a $69 million contract to design and build two new membrane tension hangars and associated facilities at Air Station Barbers Point in Kapolei, Hawai’i.
Meanwhile, Brasfield & Gorrie has been awarded $342.2 million in jobs under a multiple award contract with the Coast Guard since 2023, according to government contracting tracker HigherGov.
