The U.S. Coast Guard is in the middle of a historic facilities construction push. In May 2026, two major contracts totaling $612 million landed with a pair of experienced builders — part of a once-in-a-generation funding package aimed at modernizing bases that have been chronically underfunded for decades.

The Contracts and Scope

The Coast Guard awarded contracts at two East Coast installations in back-to-back announcements, as confirmed by official press releases from the U.S. Coast Guard and Construction Dive.

Training Center Cape May, New Jersey — Up to $400 Million

Baltimore-based Whiting-Turner Contracting Company received a contract worth up to $400 million to design and construct new facilities at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May (TRACEN Cape May) — the service's only enlisted accession training center. The contract represents the largest shore construction award in Coast Guard history, per the Coast Guard's May 7 announcement.

TRACEN Cape May currently trains 5,500 recruits annually without relying on temporary modifications. Once all upgrades are complete, that number will rise to 8,000 recruits annually by 2030. Planned projects include:

• Construction of new barracks buildings to accommodate the expanded recruit load
• A new multi-purpose training facility with seamanship training, an indoor graduation space, an indoor track, and a new drill hall
• A new fire station, replacing a building from the 1920s with modern ventilation capable of storing all fire apparatus indoors
• A new VIP review stand, grandstands with cantilevered shading, and a new parade path
• A new galley
• Demolition of two existing barracks — James and Healy Halls

Base Charleston, South Carolina — $212 Million Across Two Contracts

At Base Charleston in North Charleston, South Carolina, the Coast Guard awarded two contracts totaling $212 million:

• Whiting-Turner received a $116.7 million fixed-price design-build contract for the full recapitalization of Pier Mike. The project includes demolition of the existing pier and replacement with a structure capable of homeporting four Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs) and one visiting cutter, with each berth also capable of mooring National Security Cutters. Completion is expected in 2030.
• Brasfield & Gorrie (Birmingham, Alabama) received a $95.5 million contract to design and build a new 30,000-square-foot combined medical and dental facility, a new entry control point, and a visitor's center. Completion is expected by July 2029.

The Pier Mike work follows Whiting-Turner's ongoing reconstruction of the adjacent Pier November at Base Charleston — a project already on time and on budget, per the Coast Guard's official release.

The Funding Source

All contracts were awarded using funding from the Working Families Tax Cut Act (also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), which includes a historic $25 billion investment in Coast Guard shore infrastructure. Both Charleston contracts were executed under the Department of Homeland Security's National Multiple Award Construction Contract III vehicle, per the official announcement.

The Coast Guard marked its first Working Families Tax Cut Act expenditure in August 2025 with a $14.8 million modification to remove submerged piles at Pier November — a precursor to the larger Charleston recapitalization now underway.

Why This Matters to Construction Professionals

Federal maritime construction has historically been a niche market dominated by a small number of experienced contractors. The scale of the current Coast Guard investment — $25 billion systemwide — changes that calculus. Whiting-Turner and Brasfield & Gorrie are repeat performers with the Coast Guard; Brasfield & Gorrie alone has been awarded $342.2 million in Coast Guard jobs since 2023, per government contracting tracker HigherGov, as reported by Construction Dive. But the size and pace of the upcoming pipeline will require broader contractor and subcontractor participation.

The Cape May project is particularly complex. Training facility construction — barracks, dining halls, multi-use athletic-training buildings — requires careful sequencing to avoid disrupting active recruit classes. Work will proceed in phases to keep training ongoing throughout construction, per the Cape May announcement.

Implications for Owners, Developers, and Subcontractors

Federal maritime construction is governed by Davis-Bacon prevailing wages and DHS security requirements. Subcontractors interested in work at Cape May or Charleston should ensure SAM.gov registrations are current and pursue early relationships with Whiting-Turner and Brasfield & Gorrie. The Cape May and Charleston contracts are part of a phased buildout across multiple Coast Guard installations — meaning more solicitations will follow as the $25 billion program rolls out nationally.

Worth noting: the Coast Guard also awarded a $137 million contract for Base Seattle and a $69 million contract at Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii to Whiting-Turner in September 2025 — both under the same broader modernization initiative. The national footprint of this program spans both coasts and multiple markets simultaneously.

What to Watch Next

• Additional Coast Guard shore construction awards under the Working Families Tax Cut Act — the $25 billion total means this is the beginning
• Completion of Pier November at Base Charleston, expected in 2026, which will free access for adjacent Pier Mike work
• TRACEN Cape May recruit capacity: the 8,000 annual recruit target by 2030 is the program's near-term measure of success
• Whether Pacific Coast and Gulf Coast installations receive comparable capital packages in subsequent rounds

Bottom Line

The Coast Guard's $612 million awards at Cape May and Charleston are the most visible output so far of a $25 billion federal investment in maritime infrastructure — one of the largest single-agency construction programs in recent memory. For contractors with federal and institutional construction experience, the pipeline is real, it is funded, and it is moving.

Sources:
U.S. Coast Guard — $400M Cape May Contract Award (Official)
U.S. Coast Guard — $212M Base Charleston Improvements (Official)
Construction Dive — Coast Guard awards $612M in base improvement jobs
U.S. Coast Guard — First One Big Beautiful Bill Expenditure