Middlesex OKs addendum with Seaward Marine to dredge Broad Creek under $2.3M grant

Middlesex County supervisors on Feb. 4 approved an addendum with Seaward Marine to plan and perform phase two of the Broad Creek dredging project, authorizing dredging up to 28,300 cubic yards at a negotiated rate of $52 per cubic yard.

The addendum follows a Port Authority grant award of up to $2.3 million the county received to reimburse dredging costs. County staff told supervisors the negotiated project cost is about $1,400,000 and that existing state and DCR grant funding also will be applied. The board voted unanimously to authorize County Administrator Matt Walker to sign the addendum.

County staff and the project consultant said Seaward Marine must complete the dredging within four months of the county’s notice to proceed; liquidated damages apply if the deadline is missed. Officials also said the project includes a technical unknown: a submerged pipe under Route 33 that was used during past dredging and that may need to be reinstalled if it cannot be located. Reinstallation of a 24-inch casing under the roadway was estimated at roughly $200,000–$225,000 and could be covered by grant funds.

Officials said a preconstruction meeting is planned within weeks and Seaward indicated a narrow window of availability, so county staff expect dredging work to start as early as late February or early March if permitting and logistics are complete. The permit authorizes removal of up to 28,000 cubic yards; the addendum used 28,300 cubic yards in its dimensions.

Post-dredge verification will include a bathymetric survey submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as required by the permit. The county’s planning director and the PDC consultant will monitor work, and the county reports it has set aside funds to pay costs up front and be reimbursed by the Port Authority grant after July 1.

The board also heard that the county holds additional supporting funds: roughly $236,000 from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, which must be spent by February 2025, and about $50,000 of county funds for planning costs already expended. Officials said the county likely needs only about $1.5 million of the $2.3 million award for this dredge, leaving potential remaining funds for related work.

Supervisors approved the motion to authorize Walker to sign the addendum on a unanimous roll call vote.