Craney Island Marine Terminal

Branch was proud to have been the pioneer contractor for the development of the largest port expansion on the east coast.

The Craney Island Marine Terminal in Hampton Roads, VA, was a $2.2 billion multi-year project that resulted in the newest and most modern marine terminal in the country.

Branch embarked on the first step of the eastward expansion of Craney Island in 2009, constructing a 9000-foot long berm using 800,000 cubic yards of dredge material already on the island from the dredging of Norfolk Harbor. While the sheer quantity of material to be moved was daunting, the task was further complicated by the heavy water content of the material and its location. Safety measures and hauling routes had to be taken into careful consideration, and ditching and dewatering were important components of the initial plan of attack.

The short duration of the contract – just 7 months – meant crews had to move more than 350 loads of dredging material a day to the new berm site.

The obstacles continued throughout the project, as water leaching from the dredged material kept the slopes saturated and difficult to grade. Add to that 18 inches of rain in 40 days and a nearly sinking excavator; it took tireless teamwork day and night to accomplish the task on time.

The terminal is now able to handle ultra-large container vessels, with direct access to the interstate system and a double-stack intermodal rail service.