Orion wins Corpus Christi dredge contract

   Orion Marine Group said it has been awarded two contracts worth about $40 million, including one related to deepening the channel to the Port of Corpus Christi in Texas.
   Orion said it has been awarded a project by the Army Corps of Engineers for the expansion of the La Quinta ship channel and turning basin as part of Corpus Christi’s planned La Quinta Trade Gateway.
   Additionally, the Corps of Engineers has awarded the company a project for maintenance dredging on a portion of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from Corpus Christi to Port Isabel, Texas.
   Onsite construction of the projects is expected to start towards the end of 2011.
   The project for navigation and ecosystem restoration is part of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel – Channel Improvement Project authorized by the 2007 Water Resources Development Act. Funding for the construction contracts was approved on May 17 by the Corps of Engineers as part of its 2011 work plan.
   The projects include:
   • Extension of the La Quinta Ship Channel about 1.4 miles at a depth of 41 feet at low tide
   • Construction of an ecosystem restoration feature near Ingleside-on-Bay, Texas consisting of an offshore rock breakwater and shore protection, including the protection and enhancement of 45 acres of seagrass habitat.
   • Construction of about 200 acres of shallow water habitat created by the dredge material.