Tag Archive for: dredging project

Army Corps Extends Bid Deadline Again; Opening Now Expected June 22

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers extended the bid deadline again for its West Fork Emergency Dredging Project. The new bid deadline is Friday, June 22, 2018.

Discussions with potential vendors caused the delay for the FEMA funded project as both vendors and the Corps tried to nail down the exact volume of sediment to be removed. The Corps emphasized that it is restoring a 2+ mile stretch of the West Fork to pre-Harvey conditions. The pre-Harvey requirement comes with FEMA dollars which can only be used to return an area to the condition it was in before the storm.

At River Grove Park, this sandbar blocks the drainage ditch that empties the western third of Kingwood. It grew a quarter mile in length and 12 feet in height during Hurricane Harvey. More than 650 homes flooded in areas north of this sandbar. The Corps’ emergency dredging project will start here and extend past the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.

Projected Volume More than Doubles

Forecasted dredging material calculations increased from 748,000 to 1.8 million cubic yards of material that has shoaled. Shoaling is an area of shallow water, especially one that is a navigational hazard. In this case, shoals blocked the main channel of the San Jacinto as well as drainage ditches, such as the one at River Grove Park.

Completion Date Extended 90 Days to Accommodate Extra Volume

Because the volume of sediment to be removed has more than doubled, the Corps has also extended the completion date of the project from 180 to 270 days.

“We’ve encouraged bidders to submit questions and this allowed us to revise dredging quantities,” said Gary Stangeland, Interim Chief of Emergency Management at USACE Galveston District. “We were able to recalculate the volume of material needed and therefore extended the bid deadline and project finish date.”

Extending the project 90 days should allow the winning contractor enough additional time to remove the increased volume of materials.

The Corps’ contracting officers reposted the bid deadline date to a site used by vendors to receive notice on government opportunities. The site is accessible to the public at: Federal Business Opportunities website: https://www.fbo.gov

New Opening Date: Friday at 10 a.m.

“Our process is equitable and efficient as it allows for Corps’ Engineers to interact with vendors that will help us to restore the area to pre-Harvey conditions and help reduce future flooding risks,” said Jeff Neill, USACE Galveston District Contracting Chief, “We’ve publicly posted responses to bidders’ questions to www.projnet.org.”  Neill said bids will be opened on June 22, 2018 at 10:00 a.m., local time.

No New Placement Areas for Spoils Anticipated

The physical length of the emergency dredging did not change, just the estimates of the volume of materials within the original area of interest. No additional placement areas for the spoils should be needed, according to the Corps. Stangeland said the two placement areas already identified should be sufficient to store the recalculated increase in forecasted dredged material.

The opening was initially scheduled for May 29, 2018. Even with the delays, this project will be one of the first coming out of Hurricane Harvey that the Corps will complete.

Posted June 21, 2018, by Bob Rehak

296 Days since Hurricane Harvey

San Jacinto West Fork Emergency Dredging Project Details

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has posted bid specifications for its emergency dredging project on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River between Humble and Kingwood.

Bid documents available publicly online reveal details, maps, scope and timing of the project. Specifications, maps and amendments total more than 300 pages. See highlights below.

Start and Completion Dates

Opening of bids for the San Jacinto River Emergency dredging project, originally scheduled for May 29, has been moved to June 12, 2018. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects to award the job shortly after bids are opened.

The winning bidder is expected to commence work within five calendar days after the award of the job. The winning bidder is also expected to complete the work within 180 calendar days from the award. That would put the new completion date in mid-January 2019. The core expects bidders to staff the project sufficiently to complete work within that time.

From River Grove Park to Just Beyond
West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge

The project will focus on the area from River Grove Park in Kingwood to slightly east of the West Lake Houston Parkway bridge.

Dredging will start near River Grove Park and end just east of the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.

The objective: to restore the main river channel to pre-Harvey conditions by removing sand and other debris, such as dead trees, that obstruct the flow of the river.

Removal and Storage Methods

Sediment may be excavated or dredged mechanically. Regardless of how it is removed, it must be placed in one of two designated sand pits. The first is between Townsen and the West Fork, east of US59 and Wilson Road. The second is west of US59, between Sorters Road and the West Fork, south of Kingwood College.

Sediment will be transported via pipeline or trucks to one of two sand pits for permanent storage.

The disposal area south of the river will be filled first – up to the existing ground elevation. When the pit is filled, it will be graded to prevent ponding and make sure it drains toward the San Jacinto River.

The remainder of the sand will go to the second site near Sorters Road. It is unclear at this point whether enough sand will be dredged to fill those pits.

Restoration

Neither sand, nor other debris, will be stored on the river’s banks where it could be washed back into the river.

Fences, roads, ditches, private or public grounds, and other structures or improvements damaged as a result of the contractor’s operations must be repaired or rebuilt at the contractor’s expense.

If fresh deposits from new storms during the term of the project require additional dredging, the Corps will expand the scope to include those.

To view the full specs, visit this site: https://govtribe.com/project/usace-west-fork-san-jacinto-river-emergency-debris-removal-harris-county-texas.

Questions? Ask the Corp Directly

The Lake Houston Area Grassroots Flood Prevention Initiative will be hosting a meeting June 11 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods, 77339. So mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Eduardo Irigoyen, Project Leader for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ San Jacinto River West Fork Dredging Project, will discuss the project and take questions.

Additionally, the Flood Prevention Initiative organizers will provide updates on other important issues. They include the potential lowering of Lake Conroe during August and September (as well as next April and May), dam upgrades for Lake Houston, and the upcoming Harris County Flood Mitigation Bond Election.

The meeting is free and open to the public.

Posted May 30, 2018 by Bob Rehak

274 Days since Hurricane Harvey