Bath Iron Works has rolled out plans for the expanded parking projects surrounding the city’s biggest employer.

The shipyard presented its two-phase plan during a community-wide meeting at the Maine Maritime Museum on May 11. Phase one focuses on parking improvements, including the construction of a new parking garage and street improvements on the northern section of Washington Street. Phase two will add a new office building for ‌the supervisor of shipbuilding (SUPSHIP), with additional street improvements for the middle portion of Washington Street.

BIW’s parking garage will have 940 parking spaces, which is about 640 more spaces than that parking area has now. The city approved that site plan in March.

There will be three lanes on the road for Washington Street to help control the peak demand for driving.

Before the demolition of the Wesley Methodist Church earlier this month, BIW oversaw the curation and preservation historic artifacts from the site. A majority of the copper finials, copper weathervane and many other items were set aside for Sagadahoc Preservation Inc. to maintain but are still be sorted through, according to Jeff Robinson, Sagadahoc Preservation trustee. Around with 40 panes of stained-glass windows were saved.

BIW began construction on the Fisher Court lot expansion in late March and will complete it at the beginning of August. The Fisher Court expansion will add 125 parking spaces to the existing 86. Construction on the parking lot in front of the South Gate of BIW began in early March, with completion expected late this month.

Work on the the Centre Street parking lot near Sisters Gourmet Deli began this week, and BIW will finish it by mid-June.

The parking lot near BIW’s South Gate will only gain 12 parking spaces and will not connect to the Transporter Road, which raised concerns with Bath residents last year. There will also be a medical building constructed for BIW employees.

Finally, the Centre Street parking lot will become a dedicated 30-space paved parking lot, replacing a dirt lot, and will include EV charging stations.

Phase two of the BIW parking expansion project will feature the construction of a new SUPSHIP building in Bath. It will house BIW office staff and offer amenities like food service, a physician’s office, a fitness center and a business center for employees.

BIW plans to apply for approval of a site plan for the SUPSHIP building toward the end of 2026, with construction beginning in 2028.

Bath Iron Works wants to address the need for parking as it creates a barrier in attracting new hires while about 48% of BIW employees have worked at the company for less than five years and live in 16 counties, according to Julie Rabinowitz, BIW director of communications. The shipyard and residents in surrounding neighborhoods have butted heads over the years over limited parking, speeding and traffic.

BIW plans to have quarterly meetings with Bath residents on what the updates are for the parking projects and the redevelopment of the SUPSHIP campus. In addition, BIW and Bath residents living near SUPSHIP will have neighborhood meetings.

The next meeting for the South End Community Coalition, a local neighborhood group, is from 6-7 p.m. June 8 at Maine Maritime Museum.

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