South Padre Island is getting a record-high monetary shot in the arm with help from the U.S. Coast Guard.
The service announced Wednesday it awarded a $200 million design-build contract to The Haskell Company for the comprehensive recapitalization and expansion of Coast Guard Station South Padre Island in Texas, marking the largest single task order in the history of the Coast Guard’s military construction program.
The contract is funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, according to USCG, and will deliver the design and construction of more than 120,000 square feet of essential facilities and supporting infrastructure. They said the construction efforts will positively and directly enhance mission readiness and execution for USCG and U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel on the southwest U.S. border in Texas.
“This project will provide Station South Padre Island with modern facilities and empower them to continue operations to control, secure and defend our southern border,” Admiral Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the Coast Guard, said in a statement.
USCG said the preliminary design and environmental work on the updated will begin immediately, with project completion anticipated in summer 2028.
The Haskell Company has had a global architectural, engineering and construction footprint for decades, operating not just in North America but in Latin American, European, Asian and Caribbean marketplaces. Military.com reached out to the company for comment.
The recapitalization project will support border security operations and maritime approaches, facilitate commerce to boost economic prosperity, and respond to contingencies along the Gulf Coast and surrounding waterways.
Scope of Work
Station South Padre Island, located 6 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, is, according to USCG, “at the forefront of securing the U.S. southern border.”
This project is historic in a couple ways. One, it represents the largest award value for a shore infrastructure construction project in Coast Guard history. Second, it will be delivered on the shortest timeline to date.
The scope of work of the project is as follows:
- Environmental assessment, site survey investigations, and design services for various facilities.
- Construction of new station facilities.
- Construction of Unaccompanied Personnel Housing (UPH), additional berthing, and mission support facilities.
- Rebuilding of waterfront infrastructure.
- Construction of a Joint Operations Center and Customs and Border Protection support space.
- Forward operations space for Deployable Specialized Forces.
- Delivery of a new harbor operations center and other mission support facilities.
- Comprehensive site development, utilities and outfitting.
The service said that the planning phase was compressed from the standard 18 months to 45 days, while the contracting process was reduced from 15 months to four months.
This project comes after facility damage last year.
On April 20, 2025, a fire severely damaged the boat house at Station South Padre Island and forced crews to relocate operations. The following day, station personnel responded to reports of illegal fishing and interdicted a vessel in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone—where they discovered 130 pounds of red snapper and 75 pounds of shark on board.
“The courageous team of Station South Padre Island showed resilience and determination,” Lunday said. “The day after fire severely damaged facilities at Station South Padre Island, this crew was back on patrol, successfully interdicting illicit activity in one of our most complex operating environments.”
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