Electric Boat Co. is building a massive new facility in which to construct the Columbia-class submarines. Image courtesy of General Dynamics Electric Boat

Groton’s Electric Boat Co. broke ground last week on an enormous new facility intended to build America’s next generation of nuclear missile-toting submarines.

Ground was broken on the 200,000-square-foot South Yard Assembly Building on Sept. 13, which will be dedicated to construction of the Columbia class of submarines.

“This expansion will be the largest construction project to take place at EB’s Groton shipyard in more than 45 years,” Jeffrey Geiger, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat, said in a statement. “The facility we break ground on today will enable Electric Boat to deliver the U.S. Navy’s number-one acquisition priority – the Columbia class – our nation’s next-generation fleet of ballistic missile submarines.”

The building will eventually employ 1,400 shipbuilders and is the centerpiece of an $850 million expansion at the Groton shipyard, which also builds the Navy’s Virginia-class attack submarines. The company will also expand and update other manufacturing spaces and build a floating dry dock to launch Columbia submarines.

AECOM of Los Angeles is the construction manager for the project. Gilbane Building Co. of Providence, Rhode Island is the project manager and Jacobs Engineering Group of Dallas is the design firm.

General Dynamics Electric Boat will invest more than $1.7 billion to modernize and upgrade its facilities over the next decade.