BATH, Maine – In the coming months, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works will be seeking City of Bath approval of its plans to invest in parking and transportation improvements along the Washington Street corridor, including a new parking garage, expanded surface lots, and other traffic enhancements and pedestrian safety features.
BIW is working with stakeholders, including the Navy and our Congressional delegation, to address one of the chronic shortages facing its employees – parking in proximity to the shipyard. Parking challenges have been a persistent issue for employees, contribute to attrition and can be a barrier to hiring new employees.
BIW is proposing a parking garage that will accommodate 940 vehicles on the site of the current main parking lot at the shipyard’s north end. The building’s footprint would be about half the size of the existing parking area with four levels above grade and two below grade. The project is expected to be completed in 2028 under the proposed timeline.
A key goal is to enhance traffic and pedestrian flow along the Washington Street corridor. As part of this project, BIW would expand surface-level parking in two primary locations: across the street from the north end of the shipyard and at the south end of the shipyard. The result should reduce shipyard-related traffic impacts on the residential sections of the south end while also improving pedestrian safety and traffic efficiency. The project also will add green space, reduce impermeable surfaces and include improvements in storm water management.
Bath Iron Works has been working closely with the State of Maine and City of Bath and is in the process of holding stakeholder meetings with residents and different groups within the city in anticipation of submitting formal applications with the Planning Board and City Council.
The shipyard currently employs 6,800 people, with more than 3,500 of them working in the main yard on first shift. The improvements will help to attract and retain employees, which is important for BIW’s mission of delivering ships to the U.S. Navy.
While this project adds hundreds of parking spaces, BIW will continue to plan for and encourage the use of remote parking lots, shuttle service, carpools, vanpools and other ridesharing options.
To learn more about the project and to sign up for periodic updates, click here.
Bath Iron Works currently has under construction the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) and Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127) as well as the Flight III configuration destroyers Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126), William Charette (DDG 130), Quentin Walsh (DDG 132), John E. Kilmer (DDG 134) and Richard G. Lugar (DDG 136).
