U.S. Coast Guard Announces $212M in Base Charleston Improvements

[By U.S. Coast Guard]

The U.S. Coast Guard today awarded two contracts that will deliver critical new operational and support facilities at Base Charleston in North Charleston, South Carolina. These projects support the Coast Guard’s transformation initiatives and will deliver critical new operational and support facilities to the expanding base.

One contract, awarded to The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company of Greenbelt, Maryland and executed by the U.S. Coast Guard Facilities Design and Construction Center in Norfolk, Virginia, is for the full recapitalization of Base Charleston’s Pier Mike. This $116.7 million, fixed-price, design-build project includes demolition of the existing pier and replacing it with a state-of-the-art structure designed to homeport four Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs) and one visiting cutter. Each berth will also be capable of mooring National Security Cutters, providing significant strategic flexibility for the fleet. Contract completion is expected in 2030.

The second contract has been awarded to Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC of Birmingham, Alabama for the design and construction of a new 30,000-square-foot combined medical and dental facility, a new entry control point/visitor’s center and various supporting utilities at Base Charleston. This $95.5 million project is a major step forward in increasing personnel readiness through improved access to medical and dental care, ensuring crews receive necessary support to sustain mission readiness. Contract completion is expected by July 2029.

Both contracts were awarded under the Department of Homeland Security's National Multiple Award Construction Contract III and were made possible by the Coast Guard’s historic $25 billion investment included in the Working Families’ Tax Cut Act.

"I am excited for the incredible potential these projects have to improve the welfare of our Servicemembers and their families, to homeport our future fleet of Offshore Patrol Cutters and to operationalize the generous investments being made in our Service by the American people," said Vice Admiral Jo-Ann Burdian, commander of Coast Guard Atlantic Area. “Our people are our greatest asset, and everything we do on their behalf, to ensure they are ready, trained and well-supported will enable us to act with clarity, cohesion, and purpose to deliver the outcomes our Nation expects.”

The Pier Mike project follows Whiting-Turner’s successful demolition and ongoing reconstruction of the nearby Pier November. This adjacent project is progressing on time and on budget.