Florida Construction News staff writer
The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a $45-million design-build-to-budget contract to Brasfield & Gorrie for major waterfront repairs at the Sector Jacksonville Annex in Atlantic Beach, Florida.
The Birmingham, Alabama-based contractor will replace aging and storm-damaged infrastructure, improve flood resilience and upgrade facilities supporting Coast Guard operations across northeast Florida and southeast Georgia.
The project is expected to be completed in early 2029 and will include demolition of existing shore structures and consolidation of several functions into a new flood-hardened, two-storey, 25,000-square-foot multi-mission building.
Work will inclue the repair and reconstruction of about 850 feet of failing seawall and bulkhead originally constructed more than 60 years ago.
The existing pier will be demolished and replaced with a new pier up to 275 feet long and the site will also be regraded to improve drainage and reduce flooding concerns.
The new pier will accommodate Coast Guard assets assigned to the sector, including a 175-foot Keeper-class coastal buoy tender, two 87-foot Island-class patrol boats and a 75-foot inland construction tender.
“Investing in Sector Jacksonville Annex strengthens the Coast Guard’s ability to respond to missions across northeast Florida and southeast Georgia,” said Capt. Jason Aleksak, commander of Sector Jacksonville. “These waterfront repairs will replace aging infrastructure, improve storm resilience and provide modern facilities that support our crews, cutters and boats for decades to come.”
The project is being funded through fiscal year 2023 Hurricane Supplemental funds and 2025 Disaster Supplemental funds.
The Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville is responsible for approximately 40,000 square miles of ocean and inland waterways stretching from the Crooked River in Georgia to Malabar, Florida.
The sector conducts search and rescue, aids to navigation, ports, waterways and coastal security, marine environmental protection and living marine resources missions.
The Coast Guard operates more than 220 cutters, 185 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and 1,300 boats as part of its missions protecting U.S. waterways, ports and maritime infrastructure.
