JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District announces an award of a construction contract for ecosystem restoration in south Florida valued at more than $10 million. The project is part of Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands (BBCW), Phase I. The construction project is the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands, L-31 E Flow-way, Contract 5B.
This contract consists of Pump Station S-703 and recreational sites. The project is located in Miami-Dade County, Fla.
The $10,217,000 contract was awarded to Kiewit Infrastructure South Company, based in Sunrise, Fla. The estimated projection date is late 2024.
“The purpose of the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands (BBCW) project is to rehydrate coastal wetlands and reduce damaging point-source freshwater discharge to Biscayne Bay and Biscayne National Park,” said Christyn D. Figueroa, ecosystems project branch chief.
Phase One of BBCW is located in southeast Miami-Dade County and incorporates the Deering Estates, the Cutler Wetlands and the L-31E Flow-way/North Canal, and recreational features.
The BBCW project will restore wetland and estuarine habitats and divert an average of 59 percent of the annual coastal structure discharge into freshwater and saltwater wetlands instead of direct discharges to Biscayne Bay and Biscayne National Park. BBCW Contract 5B is part of the L-31E Flow-Way and includes the S-703 Pump Station with spreader channel to deliver water to the saltwater wetlands. Recreational areas with shelter, kiosk and campsites will also be included.
Phase One construction will be accomplished by the Corps, and includes seven pump stations, approximately 10 culverts reconnecting wetlands, and approximately three miles of spreader canals, and the plugging of 2,500 feet of mosquito control ditches. Additionally, the Phase One project area covers approximately 3,761 acres, with the northern boundary at Deering Estates and the southern boundary at the Turkey Point Power Plant.
Since 2012, our partners at the South Florida Water Management District and the Corps have designed and constructed the initial parts of the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands project in order to move the project forward.
Additional information on the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands project is available at: https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/BBCW/
Project updates will be available on the web and social media, including the Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JacksonvilleDistrict/ and on Twitter @JaxStrong.