Foth and City of Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Monday, June 18 to kick-off the S.S. Badger Carferry Improvement project. The project will update the 70-year-old docking and berthing facilities in Manitowoc, WI and Ludington, MI and enable the ferry service to continue its passenger and cargo service across Lake Michigan.
Speaking at the ceremony were Governor Scott Walker, Congressman Glenn Grothman, WI DOT Secretary Dave Ross, Lake Michigan Carferry President Bob Manglitz, Foth CEO Randy Homel, and Foth Sr. Client Manager Brian Hinrichs.
Foth has been engaged by the City of Manitowoc, the City of Ludington and the Lake Michigan Car Ferry Service to lead the project, which includes environmental due diligence, design, and construction management. The Manitowoc work will include the installation of a 420-foot timber fender system and a sheet pile dock wall. The Ludington work will include the installation of a 260-foot timber fender wall system, along with renovation of existing mooring wall dolphins.
Construction is scheduled to begin on both sides of the lake on October 14, 2018 and be completed by May 10, 2019, allowing for the S.S. Badger to maintain its regular schedule.
The S.S. Badger project is made possible by a federal FASTLANE grant (Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-Term Achievement of National Efficiencies) and state funding acquired through the Wisconsin Harbor Assistance Program (HAP).
The FASTLANE grant awarded $5,000,000 for this project. According to Foth Senior Client Manager Brian Hinrichs, “This is the only non-rail project ever approved for a FASTLANE grant—a testament to the unique nature of the two docking facilities and the multi-state efforts that define this project.”
HAP funding of $4,000,000 will also support the S.S. Badger improvements; approximately $1,000,000 of which was recently spent on emergency repairs when Winter Storm Evelyn damaged loading equipment and structures and severely eroded the harbor side of the S.S. Badger facility.
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