Michigan firm to handle repairs to Oswego Harbor breakwater, lighthouse foundation

OSWEGO, N.Y. — Dean Marine & Excavating Inc. of Michigan will do the repair work on the Oswego Harbor west arrowhead breakwater and the foundation of the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse.

The Buffalo district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on June 2 awarded the $4.75 million contract, the USACE said in a Tuesday announcement. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer and finish by the fall.

The breakwater and lighthouse foundation have been “significantly damaged” by storms, wave action, and deterioration for more than 90 years, USACE said. Repairs will “ensure continued safe navigation” for commercial and recreational vessels between Lake Ontario and the rest of the Great Lakes.

“The repairs to the breakwater and lighthouse foundations are essential to ensuring safe navigation of Oswego Harbor well into the future,” Lt. Col. Eli Adams, commander of the Buffalo district, said. “It is very rewarding to work with our partners, including the Port Authority, on a project which will contribute significantly to the commerce and recreation of Oswego and the region.”

USACE previously completed repairs to 1,100 feet of the west arrowhead breakwater’s lake side in 2018 and 2019.

Waterborne transportation facilitated by the harbor supports $4.3 million in business revenue; 20 direct, indirect, and induced jobs; and $1.4 million in labor income to the transportation sector, per the USACE.