The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $22.6 million contract July 26 to Big-D Construction of Salt Lake City for the design and construction of a 41,000 square foot addition to the Life Science Test facility at Dugway Proving Grounds (DPG), Utah. This more than doubles the size of the current test facility.

The new addition will add test, research, design, analysis and administrative areas. The laboratory space in the expanded facility will be roughly 60 percent Biosafety Level 2 (BSL 2) and 40 percent Biosafety Level 3 (BSL 3). Having more space would allow some labs to be designated for specific types of projects, as well as different classifications. (Source: Tooele Transcript Bulletin)

“One significant advantage of the addition is that it will allow us to designate specific labs for molecular biology only, and allow us to facilitate better work flow and recommended standard practices,” said Douglas Andersen, Chief of the Life Sciences Division. “The expansion will allow us to conduct concurrent tests using BSL 3 containment aerosol chambers, which had been somewhat restricted by space prior to the addition.”

The DPG Life Sciences Test Facility is one of the premiere testing locations for biological defense systems for the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security as well as other U.S. and international government organizations. The testing facility offers one of the only locations that can safely evaluate collection, detection and decontamination technologies utilizing aerosolized agents, including bacteria, viruses and toxins.

Read more: Dugway to expand bio warfare testing center (Tooele Transcript Bulletin)