Through Aug. 21, contractor L.S. Black Constructors is approximately 20 percent complete with construction of a new transient training barracks in the 1600 block at Fort McCoy, said Ken Green with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Resident Office at Fort McCoy.A $20.6 million contract was awarded to L.S. Black in September 2019 and construction started in March.Structural steel placement continues on the project along with structural steel decking placement, Green stated in an Aug. 21 update. There’s also welding of column splices taking place as well as other structure work.The barracks will be different than the traditional barracks that are located throughout the installation. This new building will be four stories and be able to house 400 people in approximately 60,000 square feet, Green said. The building is being constructed with the latest in construction materials and it’ll include state-of-the-art physical security and energy-saving measures.The project is part of the Fort McCoy master plan that looks at continuously upgrading the installation’s infrastructure to be prepared for the future, said Master Planner Brian Harrie with the Directorate of Public Works (DPW).“This barracks building is being constructed on the west side of the site, near the recently constructed dining facility in building 1672 and will provide ample parking and other amenities,” Harrie said.The project also is the first of eight new buildings planned for the entire 1600 block, Harrie said. The plan is to build three more barracks with the same specifications, three 20,000-square-foot brigade headquarters buildings, and one 160-room officer quarters.“The 1600 block will be completely transformed when all of this construction is completed years from now,” Harrie said. “The 1600 block is a great location for this transformation, too, because it places these facilities for transient training troops near the post’s service-related facilities, such as the commissary, Exchange, and McCoy’s Community Center.”Harrie said this project and future projects for the 1600 block are a great example of how DPW and the Army Corps of Engineers work together to improve quality of life at Fort McCoy.The planned completion date for the barracks is currently August 2021.Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services each year since 1984.Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”