$35 Million In Break Wall Repairs Resume This Summer At Port Of Oswego

There are about 7,760 tons of stones at our Fitz storage area on-hand to continue the work that was begun last year on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers break wall repair and reconstruction project, said Thomas Schneider, Port of Oswego Authority interim executive director. “In mid- to late April, rail cars will begin to arrive and deliver another 22,000 tons of stone to complete the project, which will resume July 15.”

OSWEGO, NY – Rail cars of granite blocks will arrive soon to resume the West break wall repair and reconstruction project that ran from spring through the fall of 2024, it was announced by Thomas Schneider, interim executive director, Port of Oswego Authority, (POA). The project is under the supervision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who have subcontracted construction to Dean Marine & Excavating, Inc. of Michigan, who will begin placing these blocks in the break wall in July. The Port of Oswego serves as the storage and staging area for the project.

“In total, we estimate that more than 780 rail cars with stone quarried and shipped from Vermont will be necessary to make the repairs,” according to Pat McMahon, supervisor of development and maintenance.  “The largest stones required are 12-14 tons each. Right now, there are about 7,760 tons of stones at our Fitz storage area on-hand to continue the work that was begun last year. In mid- to late April, rail cars will begin to arrive and deliver another 22,000 tons of stone to complete the project, which will resume July 15.”

The $35 million project, under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will repair the major portion of the harbor break wall— including repairs to the foundation of Oswego’s iconic West Pierhead Lighthouse. The Port does more commercial business than any other upstate New York port and is one of the top five ports in the Great Lakes, Schneider said.

 “Tremendous damage was done to the shoreline of the port and the City of Oswego in 2017 and 2019,” Schneider said. “This project will not only repair the damage and strengthen our breakwall, but it will also mean an influx of workers that positively benefits our local economy. We are grateful for the U.S Army Corps of Engineers on-going maintenance of the Oswego Harbor that benefits the commercial commerce of the Port, charter ship captains, and all those who benefit from the harbor and enjoy Lake Ontario and the Oswego River.”

In 2022, a contract was awarded to Dean Marine & Excavating, Mt. Clemens, MI, to complete an underlayer of stone on the break wall. That work was completed in the fall of 2023. Great Lakes Dock and Materials, (GLDM), Muskegon, MI, was awarded a contract in April 2023, of which Dean Marine is a subcontractor, to repair the west breakwall. In August 2023, GLDM was awarded the contract to complete the final 800 feet of the West Arrowhead section.

A U.S./Canadian research study shows that, over the past five years, The Port of Oswego Authority made a $513 million impact on the local and regional economy and supported 2,229 jobs by its maritime activity. The Port of Oswego generated $201.2 million in wages, salaries, and local consumption expenditures for the regional economy.

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