DRG Construction joins 80 million oyster restoration project in New York Harbor

DRG Construction has been selected to help install 80 million oysters for the Living Breakwaters project off Staten Island in New York Harbor. The work ties coastal protection to habitat restoration in one of the region’s largest marine resiliency efforts.

Why it matters: - The Living Breakwaters project pairs storm protection with ecosystem recovery in New York Harbor. - The project is designed to reduce wave energy, limit shoreline erosion, and help protect coastal communities from storm surge. - The oyster installation is part of one of the largest marine ecosystem recovery and coastal resiliency efforts in the region.

What happened: - DRG Construction was selected to assist with the installation of 80 million oysters for the Living Breakwaters coastal resiliency project. - The work will take place off the southern coast of Staten Island in Raritan Bay. - DRG Construction will deploy and install specialized oyster habitat systems throughout designated breakwater zones. - The company will use cranes, transport barges, and other marine equipment to secure the habitat systems to the breakwater foundations.

The details: - The Living Breakwaters project uses partially submerged breakwater structures as a first-of-its-kind coastal defense system. - The breakwaters are engineered to manage climate-driven physical threats in the harbor. - The structures also serve as the foundation for a broader biological recovery effort. - New York Harbor once supported large natural oyster reefs before industrialization and overharvesting depleted them. - The restoration effort aims to rebuild those ecosystems with tens of millions of oysters. - Once established, the living reefs are expected to filter harbor water, create marine habitat, and strengthen the breakwaters over time. - Marine construction at this scale requires heavy over-water operations, shifting tides management, and strict placement tolerances. - DRG Construction has more than 20 years of marine construction experience. - The company specializes in waterfront infrastructure, shoreline stabilization, dredging, pile installation, floating dock systems, bulkheads, and seawalls. - DRG Construction operates in New York and Florida and serves public, private, and municipal clients.

Between the lines: - The contract reflects a broader industry move toward green infrastructure that blends engineering with environmental restoration. - Living Breakwaters is a model for combining shoreline defense with biological recovery rather than treating the two as separate goals. - The project signals growing demand for marine contractors with both heavy civil and ecological installation expertise.

What's next: - DRG Construction will move into installation work within the designated breakwater zones. - The oyster habitat systems will be anchored to the breakwater foundations as the project advances. - As the reefs establish, the harbor’s water filtration and shoreline buffering benefits are expected to grow over time.

The bottom line: - New York Harbor’s resiliency strategy is expanding beyond concrete and stone to include living systems that can protect coastlines and restore marine habitat at the same time.