An extensive — and very expensive — project to enlarge and modernize a dry dock at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (PHNSY) is growing closer to its launch date, with its environmental impact report completed and a contract awarded.

The sheer expense of the project gives pause, as the Department of Defense anticipates spending as much as $4 billion by the time it’s completed. Nonetheless, this dry dock project, if managed carefully and efficiently, is ultimately worthy. It will improve U.S. military readiness by allowing for the upkeep of the most advanced and newest U.S. subs, as well as larger naval vessels. Improvements and efficiencies will add to the well-being of shipyard crews and the civilian shipyard workforce. And the work involved, much of it to be done by private contractors, will create a steady flow of income for hundreds of skilled workers in Hawaii.

A $2.8 billion construction task order for the project was awarded on March 10, to a joint venture of Dragados USA, Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. and Orion Government Services LLC.

“This is the largest investment military construction project in (Department of Defense) history,” said U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks as she stopped on Oahu this month to tour PHNSY and other military facilities.

Strict quality and cost control measures must be outlined and enforced to prevent skimming or overcharging. To oversee that effort, the Navy has commissioned a new command officer, Capt. Stephen Padhi, to execute the multibillion-dollar project, with a 140-member drydock team providing on-site authority and oversight.

Upon his March 17 assumption of command, Padhi stated, “We won’t settle for business-as-usual, but will move at the speed of trust with all stakeholders to achieve all five dimensions of project success: schedule, cost, quality, safety and ethics.” That must be an iron-clad commitment.

The project replaces an outdated Dry Dock 3, built in 1942, expanding its capacity to accommodate newer Virginia-class submarines and larger surface ships, and allowing for simultaneous work on two vessels. The new structure will be labeled Dry Dock 5.

If not upgraded, Dry Dock 3 would become functionally obsolete once the Navy retires the last of its Los Angeles-class submarines, as it intends to. That would result in a shrunken workforce and sphere of competence at Pearl Harbor, and isn’t the best option. Virginia- class submarines slated for deployment are more powerful and more technically advanced than currently deployed vessels. Making Pearl Harbor available for docking and repair provides a clear tactical advantage.

An essential element of the expansion project is improving the workforce experience at Pearl Harbor, which has been revealed to be subpar. Drydock crews have been pressured by ballooning global operations in the Pacific, leading to an increasing backlog of necessary repairs and maintenance. That problem burst into public view in recent years after a spate of violence at the dock.

Between 2019 and 2021, as many as three Navy submarine sailors on Oahu died by suicide while their subs were in dry dock at PHNSY. That count includes a sailor guarding the Los Angeles-­class sub USS Columbia, who killed two civilian dockworkers and wounded another before taking his own life. Navy investigations turned up reports that crews felt overworked and have repeatedly complained of toxic leadership.

This project should lessen backlogs, reducing scheduling pressures, Hicks said. She also openly queried military officials on Oahu on how they would improve the workforce experience during her tour, noting, “What’s good for the workforce is good for productivity.”

Finally, other benefits to Oahu and Hawaii are in the cards. A Navy report projects the overall dry dock project workforce will be about 2,500, paying out an estimated $200 million-plus in salaries annually.

Public-private workforce development programs are being examined, with support from U.S. Rep. Ed Case. And federal grants may be available to support transportation for PHNSY workers, utility improvements and “community support facilities” near Pearl Harbor. These should be pursued with all diligence, ensuring that the dry dock expansion does not leave Hawaii high and dry.