JE Dunn-Alberici JV begins construction on Saronic's $3.2B Texas shipyard

The JE Dunn-Alberici joint venture has started construction on the initial phases of Port Alpha, a shipyard for military contractor Saronic at the Port of Brownsville in Texas. Construction Dive reported the joint venture's Oct. 6 announcement, which puts the project at more than $3.2 billion.

The joint venture says Port Alpha is the first greenfield shipyard built in the United States since World War II. The site is intended for manned, autonomy-capable and autonomous ships, according to the joint venture.

The initial site covers 835 acres, with Saronic holding an option to expand it to nearly 4,400 acres, according to a Sept. 30 Saronic news release. The expansion option would take the footprint to more than five times its initial size.

Work is scheduled in three overlapping phases, the joint venture says. Site preparation and infrastructure work covers grading, ground improvement, drainage, access roads and utility infrastructure. Phase 1 of shipyard development then begins with initial assembly buildings, material-handling systems and supporting facilities. At completion, the site is to hold all manufacturing facilities, warehousing, permanent waterfront and vessel-launching infrastructure, and employee support facilities.

JE Dunn, based in Kansas City, Missouri, and St. Louis-based Alberci are working with design partners Stantec and KPFF under progressive design-build, which overlaps design, procurement and construction across all three stages. Scott Shelby, a JE Dunn vice president and program leader for the joint venture, told Construction Dive by email that the approach lets the team develop and evaluate design, scope and cost before agreeing to a final construction price. "That collaboration also helps us determine which portions of the work can advance while other requirements are being resolved," Shelby said.