The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District, has awarded a US$6.7 million contract to Michigan-based Great Lakes Dock and Materials for critical repairs to the Great Sodus Bay East Breakwater at Sodus Point, New York. The 100 per cent federally funded project will ensure the harbour’s viability and contributions to the local and national economy and protection of some of the area's waterfront opportunities.
Work is targeted to begin in August with completion by the autumn of 2025.
The project will repair the full 1,653-foot (503.8-metre) length of the breakwater over two construction seasons. Building on top of the original timber crib and concrete cap structure, construction will return the breakwater to its original height, seven feet (2.1 metres) above the lowest water level.
Work is being conducted by a marine barge along the breakwater. Marine traffic will not be obstructed, but vessel operators are advised to exercise caution when navigating near the breakwater.
The USACE previously completed maintenance on the East Breakwater in the 1990s and completed the Charles Point sheet pile wall in 2021.
The history of the Corps of Engineers in Great Sodus Bay dates to a survey in 1828 when breakwaters and piers were proposed. The original wooden structures were built from 1829 to 1834 and rebuilt with concrete between 1909 and 1930. In the more than 90 years since reconstruction, deterioration from wave action, ice, and storms on Lake Ontario has left the bay’s east breakwater at risk of failure.
