Crews complete REDI project stabilizing west pier wall at Port of Oswego

OSWEGO, N.Y. — Construction crews have finished a project at the Port of Oswego that stabilized the west pier wall, which the state says ensures continued safe operation.

It was the fourth of five projects awarded to the Port Authority of Oswego through the state’s Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI), the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) announced Tuesday.

The west pier provides for ship loading and unloading of various commodities such as cement and petroleum and is vital to operation of the Lehigh Cement Facility. Record-high water levels, high wind, and wave action, have negatively impacted the West Pier wall.

Resiliency measures implemented in this project include underwater wall repairs that sealed the face of the wall and will prevent future loss of fill behind the wall, stabilization of the existing concrete cap using tiebacks and reconstruction of the working-pier surface behind the wall.

The REDI Commission awarded this project $70,000. In total the Port Authority of Oswego has been awarded more than $2.3 million for its five resiliency projects.

In addition to the funding awarded through REDI, this project received $1.2 million in funding by NYSDOT, through the passenger and freight rail assistance program (PFRAP), as well as $48,646 in funding contributed by the Port Authority of Oswego.

The Port of Oswego is an international port, supporting nearly 120 vessels and allowing more than one million tons of cargo to pass through the port on an annual basis, NYSDOT said.

About REDI

In response to the “extended pattern of flooding” along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, REDI was created to increase the resilience of shoreline communities and bolster economic development in the region, per Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.

The state established five REDI regional planning committees to identify local priorities, at-risk infrastructure and other assets, and public-safety concerns. The REDI committees include representatives from eight counties. Those counties include Cayuga, Oswego, Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, and Wayne.

The REDI Commission allocated $20 million for homeowner assistance, $30 million to improve the resiliency of businesses, and $15 million toward a regional dredging effort that will benefit each of the eight counties in the REDI regions. The remaining $235 million has been allocated toward local and regional projects that “advance and exemplify the REDI mission.”