The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District continues to deliver critical military construction projects that strengthen readiness and improve quality of life for the nation’s Soldiers.
At Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, the Louisville District recently reached a significant milestone with the completion of the fourth and final training barracks in the installation’s new 1600 Block complex. The approximately $28 million East Collective Training Enlisted Barracks was completed and turned over to Fort McCoy Sept. 2.
The Louisville District serves as the National Program Manager for the Army Reserve’s Military Construction and Repair and Maintenance portfolios, partnering with other USACE geographic districts across the country to execute projects. For the Fort McCoy projects, the Louisville District serves as the project manager while the Omaha District, as the geographic district, provides daily construction oversight and onsite support.
The four-story, approximately 60,000-square-foot facility can accommodate up to 400 Soldiers participating in major exercises, annual training, mobilization and other readiness missions at Fort McCoy. The building provides modern sleeping quarters, laundry facilities, latrines with individual showers, storage areas and supporting infrastructure designed to meet the needs of Soldiers during training.
The district began designing the first barracks in December 2017, with all four facilities designed in-house by Louisville District architects and engineers. As construction progressed, the project delivery team incorporated lessons learned from each facility into the design and construction of subsequent barracks.
“The West Collective Training Enlisted Barracks was the first campus project. We were able to capture and apply lessons learned and increase efficiency in design and construction for the other three enlisted barracks as well as the officers quarters and brigade headquarters facility.” said Jason Cain, Louisville District Army Reserve Section chief. “Seeing the fourth and final barracks completed is a huge accomplishment for our team as it provides significant improvement for Fort McCoy and the Army Reserve for many years to come.”
The new facilities replace aging infrastructure at Fort McCoy, including barracks dating back to World War II. Some of the historic 1942-era buildings in the 1600 Block area were relocated in 2025 to make room for continued construction and future development.
The transformation of the 1600 Block extends beyond the four enlisted barracks. The area also includes a completed brigade headquarters facility and two Collective Training Officers Quarters project, which are currently under construction and progressing well ahead of schedule, according to Cain.
Together, the projects are modernizing a portion of Fort McCoy’s cantonment and expanding the installation’s ability to support large-scale training and mobilization missions.
Fort McCoy supports more than 100,000 service members from all branches of the military during a typical year, making modern training infrastructure essential to the installation’s mission.
For the Louisville District, the work at Fort McCoy also represents a long-term example of the value of in-house design and close collaboration among project delivery teams.
While the completion of the East Barracks closes out the four-barracks portion of the project, work continues across the 1600 Block as Fort McCoy advances additional modernization efforts.
For the Louisville District, the completed barracks represent more than new buildings. They reflect years of continued teamwork, innovation and collaboration to deliver modern facilities that support Soldiers and strengthen readiness at Fort McCoy.
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