The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a maintenance dredging contract June 24 for the Naples to Big Marco, Gordon Pass located in Collier County.
The federal channel is about 4.5 miles long and has an authorized depth of 12 feet.
The Corps’ Jacksonville District awarded the contract to Southwind Construction Corps of Evansville, Indiana, for approx. $1.65 million. Construction may start as soon as mid-August.
Project Manager Beau Corbett worked with federal contracting officers on a contracting strategy that allowed the government to maximize buying power and dredge more material from the channel. The project is 100 percent federally funded.
“ Federal funds are limited, and the competition nationwide for those funds is very tough ,” Corbett said. “ The local sponsor’s efforts to convey the economic importance of this project resulted in Congress appropriating funds for the work. I am glad the work will get done to improve channel conditions. ”
The contractor will dredge an estimated 80,000 cubic yards of material from cuts 1, 3 and 4 in the Gordon Pass Channel. Cuts 3 and 4 were added to the awarded contract as a result of the contracting strategy.
It is expected that the construction works on the project will continue through October 2016.
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