ANNOUNCEMENT: Barren Island Construction Begins

The Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration Project, Coastal Design & Construction, will commence construction operations this upcoming Monday, March 13, 2023. They will be using Fishing Creek area for initial staging, utilizing the nearby marina and renting local homes for housing staff.

The surrounding area around Barren Island will see an increase in barge traffic as a result of the initial construction. Please use extreme caution when accessing the water immediately west of Barren Island.

*Click on images to enlarge* 

 

 

Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration Project Announcements

Aug. 23, 2022 - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, and the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) signed a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) for the $4 billion Mid-Chesapeake Bay ecosystem restoration project at MDOT Headquarters. The PPA – signed by Col. Estee Pinchasin, Baltimore District commander, and MDOT Secretary James F. Ports, Jr. – outlines the roles, responsibilities, and financial obligations for both partners for the restoration of both James and Barren islands in Dorchester County.

The first contract award for construction of Barren Island was awarded late September 2022 in the amount of approximately $43.1 million to Coastal Design & Construction (small business designated) from Gloucester, Virginia. 

The Mid-Bay project received more than $84 million in the 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

Mid-Bay Island Project Overview

The Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration project, often referred to as Mid-Bay, is located adjacent to the islands of James and Barren in western Dorchester County, Maryland. The project is focused on restoring/expanding island habitat to provide hundreds of acres of wetland and terrestrial habitat for fish, shellfish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals through the beneficial use of dredged material. 

This will provide direct benefits of improved health, richness, and sustainability to aquatic and wildlife species. In addition, it will provide indirect benefits of navigational safety, education, and passive recreation. The conceptual plan for the feasibility study proposes 55 percent wetland and 45 percent upland habitats. Habitat may include submerged aquatic habitat, mudflat, low marsh, high marsh, islands, ponds, channels and upland areas. 

The project develops a long-term strategy for providing viable placement alternatives that meet the dredging needs of the Port of Baltimore while maximizing the use of dredged materials as a beneficial resource. Restoration of island habitat is necessary and valuable to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. In the last 150 years, it has been estimated that 10,500 acres of this type of habitat have been lost in the middle-eastern portion of Chesapeake Bay. Remote island habitat is valuable as resting and nesting sites for migratory and shore birds. 

The Mid-Bay project includes restoration of 2,072 acres of lost remote island habitat on James Island and 72 acres of remote island habitat on Barren Island, using material dredged from the Port of Baltimore approach channels and the Honga River, respectively. 

A Chief’s Report signed August 24, 2009 approved the final feasibility report, dated June 2009. The recommended plan consists of constructing environmental restoration projects at both James and Barren Islands.

 

 James_Isalnd_Recommended_Plan[1].png (3456×2304)  Barren_Island_Design_Plan[1].png (3456×2304)
James Island Recommended Plan Barren Island Design Plan

 

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