Stantec and Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson (JMT) have been awarded a $150 million joint venture contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Charleston District to design coastal storm risk management infrastructure for Charleston, South Carolina.

The contract is part of a $1.2 billion program to develop more than eight miles of integrated coastal infrastructure along the Charleston peninsula. The planned system will include storm surge barriers, floodwalls and levees, pump stations and gates for pedestrian, vehicle, rail and tidal flow management.

The project also incorporates nature-based features, including living shorelines and oyster reefs, intended to support environmental function and long-term system performance alongside traditional flood protection infrastructure.

Charleston, which has more than 40,000 full-time residents and numerous historic landmarks, faces increasing exposure to storm surge. The planned infrastructure is intended to reduce risks to residents, infrastructure and the city's historic coastal areas.

Stantec said its design work will draw on experience with coastal storm risk management projects in New Orleans, New York and Texas. The company will work with JMT to develop the Charleston system while accounting for the peninsula's environmental and cultural characteristics.