CONCORD, Mass. – The Block Island Harbor of Refuge bulkhead repair project in Block Island, Rhode Island, will be completed under the terms of a $846,600 contract issued recently by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District.
The bulkhead and wharf on the east side of the inner basin are in need of repair. The project consists of repairing an existing steel sheet pile bulkhead and timber wharf at the Block Island Harbor of Refuge (known locally as “Old Harbor”). The work will be accomplished by Grove Construction, Inc., of Hopedale, Mass. The project is scheduled to start in early October 2011 and is estimated to take approximately four months to complete.
“The existing steel bulkhead is to be abandoned in place and a new steel sheet pile bulkhead will be installed behind it,” said Project Manager Mike Walsh, of the Corps’ New England District, Programs and Project Management Division in Concord, Mass. “The stone revetment fronting the existing bulkhead will also be repaired, requiring new stone to supplement the material already existing in the revetment.”
The deck and framing of the existing timber wharf in front of the bulkhead will be removed and replaced. Existing timber piles are in good condition and will be reused. Due to the proximity of adjacent buildings, it is anticipated that much of the work will be performed from a floating platform or jack barge. However, land equipment will be required for excavation and movement of materials.
In 1942, the Corps constructed the 225-foot-long steel bulkhead on the east side of the basin. In 1971, stone was placed against the bulkhead, and a timber pier was constructed over it.
The project will be managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District. All work will be accomplished under the supervision of a Corps of Engineers’ Quality Assurance Representative to assure compliance with contract requirements.
For more information about Corps’ New England District contract solicitations for work, bid results or contract awards visit the website at: http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Business/Contracting/.