U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Conduct Hurricane Barrier Maintenance

USACE to take New Bedford Hurricane Protection Barrier offline for routine inspections and maintenance work

CONCORD, Mass. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District announced today

that that the New Bedford Hurricane Protection Barrier in New Bedford and Fairhaven,

Massachusetts, will be offline for routine operations for up to three months beginning Jan. 24, 2022,

so operators can conduct routine inspections and complete a variety of maintenance repairs.

Every eight to 10 years, USACE is required to conduct a dewatering of the New Bedford Hurricane

Protection Barrier. Having the barrier offline for routine operations allows USACE operators to

thoroughly inspect the areas behind the sector gates that are normally hidden below the water level,

as well as complete a variety of maintenance repairs. USACE also plans to replace the wheels

along the sector gates and paint barrier structures to prevent corrosion.

Though the barrier will be offline for approximately eight to 12 weeks and unavailable for routine

operations associated with high tides, USACE has procedures in place to have the barrier is back to

fully operational status prior to the arrival of any forecasted significant coastal storms.

USACE officials have coordinated with the New Bedford Port Authority and the U.S. Coast Guard to

notify maritime stakeholders of this pending work and any potential impacts.

The New Bedford Hurricane Protection Barrier lies across New Bedford and Fairhaven Harbor and

is located approximately 50 miles south of Boston. The project protects about 1,400 acres in New

Bedford, Fairhaven and Acushnet from tidal flooding associated with hurricanes and coastal storms

and has been operating since January 1966.

For more information about the New Bedford Hurricane Protection Barrier, visit the USACE website

at https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Flood-Risk-Management/Massachusetts/New-Bedford