The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved a $228 billion budget plan to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs and various military construction projects in fiscal year 2020 that includes $72.3 million for the replacement of a pier at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton.

The funding was announced in a news release from the office of U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District.

The replacement pier will be longer and wider than existing piers, providing adequate space for the Virginia-class attack submarines based there and will allow for more safe passage of vehicular traffic, according to a letter Courtney wrote in support of the funding. The pier also will be raised to account for future sea level rise.

Courtney, who urged approval of the funding, said "this major investment into Pier 32 is further confirmation that Congress, as well as the Navy, expects our submarine base to remain a valuable hub of activity for generations to come."

About $5 million previously had been approved for planning and design work for the pier project. The $72.3 million approved by the House committee will fully fund the project.

In the coming weeks, the Veterans Affairs and Military Construction Appropriations Bill will move to the House floor for final consideration. In early June, the House Armed Services Committee, of which Courtney is a senior member, also will begin work on the 2020 defense authorization bill, which must concurrently authorize military construction projects such as this.