The Kings Bay Dry Dock Recapitalization was the U.S. Navy facility’s first major overhaul in its three-decade history. The project is expected to support fleet operations 50 years into the future as even larger, Columbia Class submarines are phased into service.

The Alberici-Mortenson joint venture completed the project on time in September 2022 and on budget, at a cost of $625 million.

“[The project] was going to have to be done in a time frame few thought was possible in order to minimize the impacts to the strategic deterrence mission,” says Rear Adm. Lore Aguayo. “The glue that binds this team together, the two key items that made the unthinkable possible is one, a common mission in support of national security, and two, our industry partnerships.”

The base’s dry dock, the Trident Refit Facility, is among the largest in North America and was originally constructed in the late 1980s to service ballistic missile submarines, including the largest ever built for the U.S. Navy — the Ohio Class.

Deemed one of the most mission-critical renovation projects in the modern history of the U.S. Navy and one of the Dept. of Defense’s largest investments in naval infrastructure since World War II, the project included an overhaul of electrical systems; complete mechanical replacements and significant concrete repair inside the dry dock’s 67-ft-deep basin; steel structural upgrades across the facility; and overhaul of two 85-ton bridge cranes.

Photo courtesy Alberici Constructors Inc.

The project team built temporary structures; developed security and parking processes for up to 1,300 craft employees; and established protocols to navigate unforeseen circumstances during the time critical second phase.

The second phase was bound inextricably to a 15-month period for construction. During this phase, changes to the construction schedule carried the risk of affecting docking operations.

That combination of site and schedule restraints could have jeopardized the Navy’s mission at Kings Bay, says Will Chipley, vice president/project executive at Alberici.

“The Kings Bay team responded with a strong partnering mindset, creative solutions designed to safely accelerate schedule, constant communication and a project-first mentality among all team members,” he says. “We were able to make the impossible possible.”

Crews worked in shifts beginning at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the phase was completed safely, on time, and on budget in September 2022. The final phase was completed in April after the dry dock returned to service.

“In my 21 years in the construction industry, this project was by far the most complex and challenging I have been a part of,” says Marcel T. Duplantier, Commander, U.S. Navy (ret.). “It was also without a doubt the most successful as well. This success was a direct result of the team Alberici-Mortenson assembled, the nationwide resources they marshaled and the incredible culture that they cultivated.”