CRISFIELD, Md.- Major construction is underway at Somers Cove Marina as Maryland begins a roughly $30 million project to modernize the state’s largest publicly owned marina and improve flood protection.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, working with the Maryland Department of General Services and Maryland Department of Transportation, said the project will include a new boat ramp, eight replacement piers, 2,000 feet of bulkhead and five tide gates.
“Somers Cove has an outsized importance for Maryland,” said Maryland DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz. “As Maryland’s largest publicly owned marina and the gateway to the Chesapeake Bay, these vital investments to Somers Cove will benefit boaters and the boating economy across the region.”
According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the marina has 515 slips and welcomed 5,288 boaters in 2025. It also provides ferry and tour-boat connections to Smith and Tangier islands and serves as the home port for the department’s M/V Eddie Somers.
Project leaders say the new tide gates will be incorporated into a storm drain system designed to reduce tidal flooding at the marina and nearby properties. Two of the gates are intended to support future development by the City of Crisfield.
Other improvements include stormwater upgrades, new utilities, an emergency generator, parking lot resurfacing, improved accessibility and replacement of electric and water systems serving the piers.
The project is primarily funded by $15.82 million in Waterway Improvement grants, plus $8.73 million in general obligation bonds and $5.95 million from the Maryland Department of Transportation.
Dvorak LLC of Baltimore is the general contractor. Construction is expected to take 18 to 24 months.
