Over its 80 year history, Cottrell Contracting has performed hundreds of beach nourishment projects.  With over 65% of the United States population living within ten miles of a coastal area, the protection of life and property are paramount.  The most cost effective and efficient way to provide this protection is through beach nourishment. 

Currently, Cottrell Contracting has the capacity to pump sand from any inland borrow site to be placed on the beach up to eight miles.  Our dredge, Lexington, is built to ABS standards that allows it to operate in an ocean environment, thus enhancing Cottrell’s capability to mine sand from either inland or offshore sites. By using a variety of specialized equipment, both land-based and marine, Cottrell Contracting is able to provide the right tool for the right job. 

Another important part of a successful beach project is having skilled and experienced personnel who can effectively manage a beach nourishment project.  With a corporate employment service average of over 15 years, Cottrell Contracting has in its employ personnel who have been involved in many beach jobs and know how to get it done right the first time.

No matter if it’s the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway, Los Angeles Harbor or the Mississippi River, all of America’s water-born highways, like their land-based cousins, must be maintained.  This process involves periodic maintenance dredging of these projects to maintain their congressionally authorized depth.  Cottrell Contracting has been involved in the maintenance dredging business for over 80 years.  Specializing in the hydraulic cutterhead method, Cottrell Contracting has completed hundreds of projects for a variety of owners over its history.  By having dredges that vary in size from 8” to 20”, Cottrell Contracting has the right tool for any maintenance project, whether it is a relatively shallow waterway project, a deep harbor or a shipping channel job. Cottrell Contracting has the people, equipment and experience to do the job on time and in a first-class manner.

More and more often the question is being asked “In what way can we beneficially use dredge material from a project?”  The answers to this question are varied and many.  One answer is to use dredge material to create new intertidal habitats that will enhance the environment.  By pumping material dredged from a navigation channel to a specific elevation within a confined area, needed vegetation can be planted; and therefore, establish a marsh or other type of natural growth.  Cottrell has completed many of these types of projects and, in fact, was awarded the prestigious Army Corps of Engineers Chief’s Award for the restoration of the Kennelworth Marsh on the Anacostia River that runs through our nation’s capital.  By having experienced personnel as well as the highly specialized equipment necessary to undertake these demanding projects, Cottrell can ensure the project will be built right the first time.