Port of New Bedford Awards $27.9 Million North Terminal Expansion Project Contract

Last week, the New Bedford Port Authority awarded a $27,943,800 construction project contract to D.W. White Construction of Acushnet, MA for the North Terminal Expansion project in the Port of New Bedford.

The North Terminal Expansion is a transformative port infrastructure project that will spur long-term economic development by meeting the infrastructure needs of commercial fishermen, the offshore wind industry, and other port users, to ensure economic growth and increased efficiency.

This project was a culmination of federal, state, and private investment that will build a north/south bulkhead at the North Terminal in New Bedford’s upper harbor. The project will also spur significant investment in the Port of New Bedford in the years to come.

Led by the New Bedford Port Authority (NBPA), this project will create a safer and more efficient connection between the New Bedford Harbor and the surface transportation system. More specifically the project will:

· Extend the North Terminal Bulkhead in the upper harbor;

· Backfill the new bulkhead with approximately 97,000 cubic yards of clean suitable material sourced from CAD Cell 4. Approximately 150,000 square feet of upland terminal space will be created across the area backfilled landward of the bulkhead;

· Complete the new CAD cell with 480,000 cubic yards capacity to receive contaminated dredge material within New Bedford Harbor. Design and permitting for this CAD cell has been previously completed. Dredging of approximately 25,000 cubic yards of contaminated material located in front of the North Terminal;

· Increase infrastructure to support the offshore wind industry while also providing much needed berthing space for commercial fishing vessels.

This project will result in significant long-term economic development, including:

· 898 new and permanent jobs;

· an additional $65.1 million in additional wages and local consumption;

· an additional $11.5 million in state and local tax revenue.

“This project represents a major step in our effort to modernize the Port of New Bedford. It will enhance the long-term competitiveness of our maritime industries and help create quality jobs for our residents,” Mayor Jon Mitchell said. “I am grateful for the skill and determination of the Port Authority’s team in overcoming legal, financial and engineering obstacles, along with the support of Senator Markey and the Baker Administration, that have enabled the project to proceed. We look forward to working with DW White, a leading contractor in Greater New Bedford with a long history of responsible corporate citizenship.”

This project is one of the most significant harbor development projects in the history of the port. The Port of New Bedford is poised to address, on an on-going basis, the issue of modernizing the port’s docking facilities, as well as updating its infrastructure ensuring that New Bedford remains the #1 commercial fishing port in the country.