With $271 Million Investment in Pier 1 at NAVSTA Newport, Reed Bolsters U.S. Coast Guard’s Expansion in RI & Advances NAVSTA Newport Shoreside Modernization

WASHINGTON, DC – After years of federal investment to position Rhode Island as a key hub for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today announced that the Coast Guard is solidifying its Ocean State footprint with the awarding of a new $271,226,000 contract for phase 2 construction of Naval Station (NAVSTA) Newport Pier 1. Located in the waterfront area of Coddington Cove, Pier 1 was originally constructed in the mid-1950s. Over the decades, the 1,585-feet long concrete structure took a pounding from storms, waves, and ongoing degradation that rendered the pier condemned. It has already been demolished as part of phase 1 of the project. Plans for the new pier call for a more compact, approximately 1,000-feet long and 80-feet wide, structure with a higher deck elevation to minimize the potential for wave damage and account for future sea-level rise. Additional work associated with the project includes building a new bulkhead; creating a laydown area and parking facilities; implementing stormwater management systems; installing utilities including fire/potable water, electrical, telecommunications, and compressed air systems. The new pier is needed to support the operations of four state-of-the-art Coast Guard vessels that will make Newport their homeport as the USCG enhances its regional maritime commitment, capabilities, and operations in Rhode Island. “This is great news for the state that builds on multi-year investments we’ve made to bring more jobs and resources to Rhode Island. NAVSTA Newport offers the Coast Guard some strategic advantages and cost efficiencies. Constructing this pier is a needed step to ensure the Coast Guard deepens its roots in Rhode Island. It will transform the pier from an aging, high-maintenance structure into a resilient, efficient, multi-functional waterfront hub that can serve for generations to come. This new pier will ensure the Coast Guard has the infrastructure required to serve as the homeport for four next-generation cutters. I will continue working to provide our Coast Guard crews with the facilities and support they need to meet America’s evolving maritime security needs,” said Senator Reed . When the pier modernization project is complete it will provide four major cutter berths for the Coast Guard’s growing surface fleet. These ships are likely to be ‘major cutters’ -- massive vessels that are hundreds of feet long and weigh thousands of tons. More information about the final lineup of USCG cutters coming to Rhode Island will be announced at a later date. To successfully prepare for NAVSTA Newport’s projected growth, community conversations and public meetings have already begun as Newport and nearby communities prepare to welcome an influx of hundreds of federal employees, military personnel, family members, and associated maritime researchers and support staff that are scheduled to arrive in the area in the coming years as both the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) increase their footprint at Naval Station Newport. NOAA has carved out a 5-acre site along Coddington Cove at NAVSTA Newport for its new, state-of-the-art $147 million Marine Operations Center - Atlantic (MOC-A), which is expected to be completed in the coming months. The MOC-A coordinates NOAA’s ships operating in the Atlantic Ocean and Great Lakes and serves as a homeport for some of NOAA’s flagship research vessels. Senator Reed led the successful effort to move the MOC-A from Norfolk, Virginia to NAVSTA Newport in Rhode Island . MOC-A’s new home will feature a modern pier for berthing four large NOAA research vessels, a floating dock for smaller boats, administrative offices, parking lots, and maintenance and storage facilities. To help prepare for the influx of people associated with these new facilities at NAVSTA Newport, the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) Community Cooperation program has funded community outreach and planning initiatives to help ensure positive working relationships between military installations and their host communities, which include the City of Newport and the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth. Construction on the pier and the delivery of the new cutters are scheduled to continue through 2030. There are currently five U.S. Coast Guard cutters stationed in Rhode Island and homeported at NAVSTA Newport: USCGC Oak (Seagoing buoy tender); USCGC Sycamore (Seagoing buoy tender); USCGC Legare (Medium endurance cutter); USCGC Campbell (Medium endurance cutter) and USCGC Tahoma (Medium endurance cutter).