The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the award of a $30.7 million contract to H&L Contracting to protect the historic Montauk Point Lighthouse and associated cultural resources located on the easternmost point of Long Island.
The estimated two-year project to safeguard the landmark lighthouse from shoreline erosion is expected to start this spring. Montauk Point Lighthouse, the first lighthouse built in New York State, is a National Historic Landmark on the Federal and State Registers of Historic Places.
“The Montauk Point Lighthouse is the historic gem of Long Island. For decades it has served as a beacon for mariners and facilitated the commerce that made New York State one of the most prosperous States in the Union. The complex nature of protecting this historic icon is a task well suited to USACE,” stated Colonel Matthew Luzzatto, Commander, USACE, New York District. “We look forward to making sure this important part of American History remains a symbol of our strength and American military engineering excellence for the next 100 years.”
The lighthouse was commissioned by George Washington and constructed in 1796 roughly 300 feet from the receding edge of the bluff. Over the years, the site has become increasingly dangerous and less stable for visitors to the structures at this Long Island destination. Today, this landmark sits less than 100 feet from the receding edge of the bluff and its deteriorating stonework revetment is the only thing left protecting the lighthouse from being lost to the ocean due to erosion.
The lighthouse complex consists of the Lighthouse Tower and Keeper’s House, the Fire Control Tower, and the Garage, which served as an earlier Keeper’s House. The archaeological sites associated with the lighthouse and bluff are also part of the complex.
Construction is expected to take approximately two years.
The approximately 1,000 linear feet stone revetment work consists of removing and reusing existing five- and 10-ton armor stones, placement of new 10- and 15-ton armor stones, and providing slope stabilization with terracing and vegetation above the upper crest of the revetment.
