May 14, 2026 —
On May 7, the Coast Guard awarded a contract valued at up to $400 million to The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company for the design and construction of new facilities at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, New Jersey. The award is the largest shore infrastructure construction contract in Coast Guard history and is part of an ongoing effort to modernize the service’s sole enlisted accession training center.
Funding for the project comes through the fiscal year 2025 budget reconciliation and annual appropriations and is focused on delivering modernized training facilities and base infrastructure. The Coast Guard will use the funding to strengthen Training Center Cape May as the nation’s premier enlisted training center.
The training center currently supports up to 5,500 recruits each year. Coast Guard leaders expect that number to grow to more than 8,000 annual recruits by 2030, once construction is complete and new facilities are operational.
The projects will address quality of life and safety improvements to support cadet instruction. Construction will occur in phases to minimize disruptions to recruit training operations while accelerating delivery timelines made possible through the historic funding investment.
The full scope of work under the contract includes:
- Construction of new barracks facilities to support more than 8,000 recruits annually.
- Demolition and disposal of abandoned steam trenches and building foundations.
- Construction of temporary facilities with utilities and C5IT connections.
- Relocation of electrical duct banks and transformers.
- Demolition of the existing James and Healy halls.
- Construction of a new VIP review stand, grandstands with cantilevered shading and a new parade path.
- Construction of a new galley.
- Construction of a new fire station to replace a facility dating to the 1920s with a modern structure featuring updated ventilation systems and consolidated indoor storage for all fire apparatus.
The investments will strengthen the Coast Guard enlisted workforce and support critical Coast Guard missions.
The contract was awarded by the Facilities Design and Construction Center, in coordination with Program Executive Office Shore, the Shore Infrastructure Logistics Center, Civil Engineering Units Cleveland and Oakland with support from Force Readiness Command, Training Center Cape May, and others across Coast Guard headquarters and field commands.
For more information: Shore Programs