USACE Repairs Canal Bulkhead
With Innovative Project
By Mr. Stephen Rochette
W
hen the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
needs to repair a dam outlet, bulkhead, or other
piece of infrastructure that is submerged in water,
it faces an engineering challenge. The added variable
can make repairs more diffcult, costly, and
time-consuming.
to connect the Manasquan River (about 1 mile from the
ocean on the northern end), the Bay Head Harbor, and the
Metedeconk River on the southern end. The canal is widely
used by pleasure boaters, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the
Ongoing repair work along the Point
Pleasant Canal in New Jersey has been just
that—a challenge—but with resourcefulness
and innovation, the USACE Philadelphia
District and its contractor completed the
work.
The project involved repairing 8,900 feet
of a steel bulkhead along the canal. Work
began in 2010 after the Philadelphia District
awarded a $4.1 million contract to a Minnesota frm with funds from the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The
bulkhead repair project, completed in March
2013, was the last remaining stimulus package work for the district. The USACE project
manager said that the contractors were fexible and resourceful and that the quality of
their work was impressive.
The canal, approximately 150 feet wide A USACE project manager and an inspector discuss the desalination gear
and 1.7 miles long, was constructed in 1925 that will produce freshwater to wash the bulkhead.
26 Engineer
May–August 2013