Duluth Ship Canal Shoreline Protection Project

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District intends to issue a Request for Bid  to award a single firm fixed-price construction for the Duluth Ship Canal Shoreline Protection Project.  The solicitation will be issued under W911XK-23-B-0002.

The City of Duluth has constructed a reinforced concrete T-Wall and stone revetment along the shoreline of Lake Superior as part of their Lakewalk Project. The wall and armor stone added by the city protects a paved pedestrian and bicycle trail along Lake Superior and terminates at the USACE property line. The existing USACE shoreline protection spans from the termination of the City of Duluth’s project to the Duluth Ship Canal north pier, approximately 200 linear feet total. The existing USACE shoreline protection project was constructed in various stages in the early 1900s and no longer provides the required protection. Every year, debris is washed over top of the shoreline, clogs up the drainage system, and provides maintenance issues.

The proposed Duluth Ship Canal Shoreline Protection Project will tie into the city of Duluth’s existing T-Wall and revetment and continue the protection for the shoreline to the north pier. The proposed shoreline protection project will include a reinforced concrete T-wall, stone revetment placement, and landscape and drainage reconstruction.

USACE, Detroit District owns and maintains the pier perpendicular to the sidewalk. The property for the landscape reconstruction is also owned and maintained by the Duluth Project Office, Detroit District. The project site is located at the Duluth Entry in Duluth, Minnesota. The US Army Corps of Engineers – Detroit District owns and operates the Duluth Entry. The site includes the Duluth Project Office, Duluth Resident Office, Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center, the adjacent park grounds and associated sidewalks. The Duluth Visitor Center is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the upper Midwest. The facility receives over 500,000 visitor and an additional 2 million visitors on the park grounds each year. Figure 2 below shows the location of the project.

The current shoreline protection project has not been able to effectively protect the park grounds during storms.  During Heavy storms, debris (including sand and smaller riprap) is transported onto the existing sidewalks and park grounds.  This debris eventually plugs up the existing storm drainage system, resulting in the flooding of portions of the park grounds.  Due to the increased frequency of storms, the flooding and debris result in a continuous maintenance issue.

The overall proposed shoreline protection project consists of three main portions (1) T-wall construction (2) revetment construction and (3) landscape reconstruction. Figure 3 shows that extent of the overall project. The proposed project will be awarded in September 2023, with construction taking place in the summer/fall of 2023 and spring 2024. 

Elements of Wor

1. Excavation  and earthwork– Material will be excavated and moved, as well as fill material placed within the project boundary to provide correct grading for project features.
2. Concrete – A reinforced concrete T-wall will be constructed parallel to the shoreline to protect the site from high lake levels and wave overtopping. The project also includes the construction of concrete walkways for public access.
3. Stone – A new stone revetment (including a bedding layer and top layer of armor stone) will be placed along the shoreline on the waterside of the T-wall.
4. Drainage work – A new storm water drainage system will be constructed for the site, the existing drainage system will be demolished.
5. Landscaping – Seeding/sodding will be required at given locations within the project boundary.

The following information is provided:

• In accordance with FAR 36.204 the magnitude of construction is between $1 million and $5 million.
• The project will be solicited as Small Business HubZone set-aside.
• North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) is 237990 Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction.  The size standard for this NAICS is $45 million.
• Solicitation will be posted approximately on or about 1 August 2023.

The solicitation package materials, documents, drawings, specifications, and attachments will be available only electronically via https://piee.eb.mil/xhtml/unauth/home/login.xhtml and www.sam.gov.  Hard copy documents will not be supplied by the Government to any interested parties as a result of this solicitation.

Please note that the Government will not be maintaining a bidders list during the solicitation period.  However, vendors are strongly encouraged to review the “Interested Vendors List” tab found on sam.gov for this solicitation.

In order for interested contractors to conduct business with the Federal Government, contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submission of bid.  Contractors can access SAM for free at www.sam.gov.

DISCLAIMER: The official plans and specifications are located on the official government webpage and the Government is not liable for information furnished by any other source. Amendments, if/when issued will be posted to via PIEE and www.SAM/gov for electronic downloading.  This will normally be the only method of distributing amendments prior to closing; therefore, it is the offerors responsibility to check the website periodically for any amendments to the solicitation.  Websites are occasionally inaccessible, due to various reasons.  The Government is not responsible for any loss of Internet connectivity or for an offerors inability to access the documents posted on the referenced web pages.  The Government will not issue paper copies.  All inquiries must be in writing, preferable via email to the persons specified in the solicitation.  All answers will be provided in writing via posting to the web.