DORCHESTER COUNTY, Md. - A major Chesapeake Bay restoration effort is moving into its next phase, with federal officials awarding a multimillion-dollar contract to begin work on the long-eroded James Island.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Baltimore District has awarded a $53.83 million contract to C&C Joint Ventures, LLC, of Gloucester, Virginia, for restoration work at James Island as part of the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration project. The contract marks the first phase of restoration work on the island, which will include mobilizing crews, conducting hydrographic surveys, constructing a perimeter dike, beginning dredging operations, and building a sand stockpile to support future construction.
The total contract could reach $122.19 million when additional options are included, such as expanded dike construction and seeding of the sand stockpile area, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Officials say the project is designed to support both commerce and environmental restoration. Baltimore District Commander Col. Frank Pera said the work will help maintain shipping channels leading to the Port of Baltimore while also restoring critical habitat in the Chesapeake Bay, calling it a “win-win project.”
The effort is a partnership between the federal government and the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Port Administration, with costs split 65 percent federal and 35 percent state.
"This represents the latest significant milestone in the long-awaited Mid-Bay project, which will benefit commerce and the environment," said Maryland Port Administration Executive Director Jonathan Daniels. "Working alongside the Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland has become a leader around the world in beneficially reusing sediment dredged from our shipping channels to rebuild and restore long-eroded islands while creating habitats for wildlife to flourish."
The broader Mid-Bay project aims to restore more than 2,000 acres of lost island habitat at James Island and an additional 72 acres at Barren Island using dredged material from Baltimore’s shipping channels. Once completed, James Island is expected to consist of roughly 55 percent wetlands and 45 percent upland areas, with habitats including marshes, mudflats, ponds and upland terrain designed to support wildlife.
Construction is expected to begin in late April, and officials are warning boaters to use extreme caution near the James Island construction zone, where underwater work could pose hazards to vessels and fishing equipment.
The project is expected to unfold over several decades. Barren Island could begin receiving dredged material as early as fall 2026, while James Island is projected to begin accepting material around 2030 after containment areas are completed. The full Mid-Bay project is anticipated to be finished by 2067 and is expected to provide more than 30 years of capacity for nearly 95 million cubic yards of dredged material.
State leaders say the project builds on the success of Poplar Island, a similar restoration effort that expanded in 2021 and continues to provide environmental benefits and dredging capacity for the Port of Baltimore.