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Van Hollen, Alsobrooks Announce Over $190 Million for Maryland Projects in Army Corps Work Plan

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks, a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee (both D-Md.) along with Governor Wes Moore and Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld announced the inclusion of $194,208,400 for Maryland infrastructure, dredging, and environmental projects in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fiscal Year 2025 Work Plan. Critically for the Port of Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay, this work plan provides over $61 million for maintenance and dredging of the Port’s navigation channels, $18.6 million for smaller channels, $850,000 for environmental remediation work in Curtis Bay, and $71.9 million for Midbay projects, including additional funding towards the completion of James Island, which involves repurposing of dredged material to provide a natural habitat for Bay wildlife.

“Investing in our waterways is essential for our economic success, the safety of our residents, and the health of our environment. That’s why we fight each year to provide the Army Corps with the federal funding needed to support Maryland’s navigation and water infrastructure priorities. These investments will bolster the Port of Baltimore and the many jobs there, enhance our resiliency against climate change, improve the health of the Bay, and much more,” said Senator Van Hollen.

“The Army Corps is crucial to Maryland as the projects they complete are critical to the Port of Baltimore, a major economic driver for our state and country.  We have a responsibility to continue investment in our infrastructure and in our effort to protect natural resources for generations to come,” said Senator Alsobrooks.

"The Port of Baltimore is a hub for Maryland jobs and an engine for economic growth. And every year, the Army Corps of Engineers leads the complicated work of keeping our shipping channels clear so commerce can move to and through one of the most vibrant ports in America," said Gov. Moore. "We thank Team Maryland for securing this essential funding, which will help sharpen our economic competitiveness, protect the natural heirloom that is the Chesapeake Bay, and boost the sustainability of our ecosystem and waterways."

"This funding is a major win for Team Maryland and will help maintain commercial access to the Port of Baltimore through critical dredging efforts while also using the dredge material to restore remote island habitat at the Mid-Bay and Poplar Island projects,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld. “I express my sincere appreciation and thanks to our partners in Congress, including Senator Chris Van Hollen, Senator Angela Alsobrooks, Congressman Kweisi Mfume and Congressman Andy Harris, as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for advancing this significant federal funding for Maryland projects.”

The federal funding has been awarded as follows:

  • Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Project, Maryland – $71,875,000 toward James Island construction completion, part of 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 Chesapeake Bay ecosystem resource. 
  • Baltimore Harbor and Channels, Maryland – $61,077,000 towards routine operation and maintenance activities that support safe navigation to and from the Port of Baltimore, including dredging that provides for 50-foot deep main shipping channels from the Virginia Capes to Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. 
  • Jennings Randolph Lake (JRL) Dam, Maryland and West Virginia – $14,247,000 towards operations and maintenance of JRL dam, located between Garrett County, Maryland, and Mineral County, West Virginia, including replacement of port gate seals and airduct insulation, as well as replacement of comfort station vault tanks at Shaw Beach.
  • Poplar Island - $10 million towards construction management, monitoring, coordination, and cell development contracts as well as dredge material inflow on the Talbot County island, a national model for habitat restoration and the beneficial use of dredged material.
  • Ocean City Harbor/Inlet and Sinepuxent Bay, Maryland – $9,555,000 towards maintenance dredging of the Ocean City Inlet and Sinepuxent Bay federal navigation channels to manage the dynamic shoaling conditions of the inlet to ensure safe navigation, while supporting the local economy and U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue missions.
  • Fishing Creek, Maryland – $9 million towards work activities, including south jetty repair.
  • Wicomico River, Maryland – $5,025,000 towards maintenance dredging for the Federal navigation channel in Wicomico County, to ensure vessels can continue safely carrying fuel, materials, and agricultural supplies to and from Eastern Shore communities.
  • Rock Hall Harbor, Maryland – $4 million towards maintenance dredging of Rock Hall Harbor, one of the largest federal harbors for recreational boaters in the Chesapeake Bay that hosts several marinas and is home to fishing and sailing charters, as well as watermen engaged in crabbing, oystering, and fishing.
  • Baltimore Coastal Storm Risk Management Project, Maryland – $4 million to initiate and complete the preconstruction engineering and design phase for the project, which aims to add structural floodwalls to manage coastal storm damage risk and flooding to the I-95 and I-895 tunnel entrances and associated critical facilities to improve infrastructure resiliency in the metro region. ?? 
  • Baltimore and D.C. Drift removal – $1,017,000 (Baltimore) and $1,557,000 (DC) toward patrol and debris removal within?the Patapsco River and its tributaries?in an area covering 24 square miles, as well as?the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers covering 27 miles around the Nation’s Capital.
  • Assateague Island – $900,000 to mitigate sand losses on and combat the island’s accelerated rate erosion that creates navigation hazards, threatens wildlife, and increases storm damages on the island and in mainland communities.
  • Navigation Channel Surveys - $541,800 for hydrographic and topographic condition surveys of Federally authorized navigation channels including when shoaling may have resulted in a risk to safe navigation.
  • W.R. Grace & Company, Curtis Bay, MD - $850,000 for finalizing Radioactive Waste Disposal Area (RWDA) pre-design investigation and begin drafting the report, as well as facilitate the selection of a construction management contractor for Building 23; review documents regarding Sledds Point, a possible additional area of concern and determine the next steps, including a site inspection to conduct limited sampling.
  • Cumberland, MD and Ridgeley, WV - $246,000 for commonly performed O&M work.
  • Inspection of Local Levee Systems - $214,000 for inspection of locally owned and maintained levee systems.
  • Nanticoke River - $200,000 for dredging support activities.
  • Scheduling Reservoir Operations - $125,000 to support the participation in the operation of certain dams, which the Corps does not own, during a flood.