The new project will help to modernize the facilities at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard)
The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a $400 million contract to design and build new barracks and training facilities at the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May.
The contract moves the project into the design-build phase, bringing it one step closer to construction and giving a clearer picture of what the modern facilities will look like once completed, U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew said.
"This is the single-largest federal investment in the history of South Jersey, and we are finally seeing it come to life," Van Drew said in a news release Friday announcing the contract. "The contract is awarded, the design is moving forward, and this is where it starts to become real.”
Dating to 1924, the training center is the home of the Coast Guard enlisted corps. It is the Coast Guard's only recruit training center for enlisted personnel. It is located at 1 Munro Avenue in Cape May.
Van Drew, whose 2nd Congressional District includes the Coast Guard base, said the new barracks building reflects the national importance of the training center.
“Almost every enlisted member of the Coast Guard begins their service in Cape May, and these young men and women deserve modern, reliable facilities from day one. That is exactly what this project is going to deliver," he said.
A conceptual rendering shows what the Coast Guard project will look like when completed. (Courtesy of U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew's office)
