Photo By AnnMarie Harvie | Scenic view of Block Island Harbor, Block Island, R.I. (Photo by Ed O'Donnell, U.S....... read more read more
CONCORD, Mass. - The New England District entered into an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard, July 29 to replace navigation structures lost or damaged due to storm damage while they repair breakwaters in Rockport, Massachusetts, and Block Island, Rhode Island. The agreement will also allow additional work for other planned, upcoming breakwater repairs.
Two years after Superstorm Sandy hit East Coast waters, clean up in the aftermath is still ongoing. While the New England District is repairing the breakwaters in Rockport and Block Island, they are also constructing and placing Aid to Navigation bases for the U.S. Coast Guard. “The base for an Aid to Navigation is a 5-foot by 5-foot block of concrete,” said Ed O’Donnell, Chief of Navigation. “The block sits atop our stone structure and a navigation light, or day beacon is bolted onto it.”
Work to construct the base includes excavating within armor stone, placing an 8-foot by 8-foot diameter manhole and filling with rock lining and 4,000 per square inch (psi) concrete. Anchor bolts will be placed on top of the foundation. The actual tower that sits on top of the base will be installed by the U.S. Coast Guard.
According to O’Donnell, if a breakwater gets damaged in a storm, most oftentimes the Aid to Navigation is damaged as well. Both need to be repaired. “Since we are paying money to design, solicit a contract and construct the breakwater, it’s cost effective for the Coast Guard to request us to just add this small amount of work to our project,” he said.
The small effort pays off for the Coast Guard in a big way, saving the agency the burden of doing a solicitation for work, saving money because the contractor is already onsite doing work and saving time because the base can’t be built and installed until the breakwater is repaired. The New England District’s support of the Coast Guard on these projects is in keeping with the USACE Campaign Plan’s Objective to Support the Warfighter.
Block Island Harbor of Refuge is located on the east side of Block Island, about 13 miles southwest of Point Judith Harbor, Rhode Island, and about 25 miles southeast of Stonington Harbor, Connecticut. Work to repair the breakwater will include, but not be limited to, mobilization and demobilization, furnishing, delivery, and placement of new armor stone to replace stones displaced during Hurricane Sandy, and to fill in gaps and low points along the jetty. The repair work will involve reconstructing the breakwater to pre-storm conditions including side slopes and crest height. ”The quantity of stone to be placed include approximately 2,400 tons and the size of the stone is estimated to be 10-14 tons on the trunk of the structure and 18-22 tons on the head of the structure,” said Project Manager Dan Stenstream.
Various sections of the jetty will require dismantling prior to rebuilding with new stone so that pre-storm elevations and side slopes can be matched and the large armor stone can be properly aligned and interlocked.
Repairs to Bearskin Neck Stone Jetty in Rockport, will consist of repairing the 540-foot-long jetty also damaged during Hurricane Sandy. Although the ocean side of the jetty has retained its shape/authorized dimension, 400 feet of the jetty contains voids 5 feet deep along the crest profile and voids 5-10 feet deep along the harbor side slope. The head at the east end of the jetty is missing along with the U.S. Coast Guard Aid to Navigation that was mounted there.
Work to repair the jetty will include delivering and installing approximately 4,000 tons of 14-19 ton armor stone and 6,000 tons of 4-8 ton armor stone to repair the jetty to authorized dimensions,” said Project Manager Steve Dunbar.
The work on this project also includes replacing displaced armor stone to fill in existing gaps in the jetty. A majority of the 18-19 ton stone will be used to reconstruct the last 30 feet, which is the head of the jetty. Repairs will require substantial moving and re-handling of existing stones to obtain the required interlocking placement. The New England District has received bids for both projects and anticipates awarding the work in the near future. Work is estimated to start this fall and be completed by spring 2015.
Under a second, more detailed agreement, the District is also performing stone revetment construction work for the U.S. Coast Guard Station at Point Judith in Narragansett, Rhode Island. That project consists of placement of 7,000 tons 4-8 ton stone protection in front of 600 LF of an existing seawall and 380 cubic yards (CY) of underlayer stone, 125 CY of stone bedding, 100 CY of crushed stone, and 160 CY of gravel fill for a 150-foot reach where Hurricane Sandy damaged the seawall and scoured the inclined natural slope behind it,” said Project Manager Steve Dunbar, who drafted and coordinated execution of both agreements with the U.S. Coast Guard. Award of this contract is expected in September.
| Date Taken: | 09.29.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2014 15:00 |
| Story ID: | 143640 |
| Location: | CONCORD, MA, US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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