New projects on the way in Erie Harbor, PA

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District is about to kick off several construction projects in Erie Harbor, Pennsylvania.

The Corps contractor, Chicago-based Architectural Consulting Group, will begin construction on Erie Harbor’s north pier in mid-April, repairing approximately 1,800 feet of the damaged structure.

The work is part of more than $7.5 million worth of activity in Erie by USACE in 2024, including dredging of the harbor’s federal navigation channel and continuation of the Presque Isle Beach Nourishment project.

In December 2023, USACE awarded a $682,000 contract for dredging the federal navigation channel in Erie Harbor to ensure accessible depths for large vessels and the continued flow of commodities across the Great Lakes.

Dredging will focus on the lake approach channel and areas between the entrance piers, removing approximately 100,000 cubic yards of material and placing it in an authorized open lake area. Work is scheduled to take place from mid-June through July 2024.

USACE has been nourishing the beach at Presque Isle State Park since 1989. Beach nourishment prevents erosion of the nearly seven-mile long, 3,200-acre Presque Isle Peninsula – a natural breakwater protecting the harbor, critical habitat for the migratory Piping Plover, and significant tourism destination.

The annual target amount of sand for beach nourishment is 38,000 cubic yards, but the final amount will be determined following the spring beach inspection with partners from Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Presque Isle State Park, and the Presque Isle State Park Advisory Committee.

$1.5 million is already on hand from the fiscal year 2024 budget, with a matching $1.5 million from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and a stockpile of more than 11,000 cubic yards of sand already available at Presque Isle.