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Archive: 2020
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  • August

    Memphis Team deployed to Louisiana in support of Hurricane Laura relief efforts

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Memphis District deployed a 13-member Emergency Power Planning and Response Team (PRT) to support Federal Emergency Management Agency's Hurricane Laura response, on Aug 26.
  • A look back: Williams' 30+ years of service

    "If you walk around this vessel, chances are you will find him working somewhere around here, even when he is off the watch," Dredge Hurley Assistant Master Tim Tucker said. "We sometimes have to make him stop to go to his room to relax after a long day. If some of the kids coming out of high school these days would show up with half of the work ethic that he has, we would really get a lot more done." Tucker is describing Curtis Williams, who is also known by many on the dredge as "Lil Wolf". Williams is the Dredge Hurley's ship keeper and has been with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a little more than 30 years.
  • Critical drainage channels to be maintained

    Throughout its history, the Lower Mississippi River Flood Plain has been besieged by floodwaters; that’s why flood risk management is one of the Memphis District's major mission areas. We serve as the first line of defense for the entire lower Valley. Working to execute this mission and serving as that first line of defense, a Memphis District Project Delivery Team awarded three major contracts to perform maintenance on drainage channels 1 and 251, which are located in the Little River Drainage District in Southeast Missouri. The contracts are for lower Ditch 251, upper Ditch 251, and upper Ditch 1 and authorize contractors to go in and return a total of 89 miles worth of drainage channels to their authorized level of flood protection.
  • District awards contract to safeguard railroad bridge on St. Francis River

    Two bridges crossing a major Arkansas waterway were under attack by scouring currents that threatened to undermine the safety of the structures. In response to this potentially dangerous situation, the Memphis District on July 30 issued a repair contract to Polk & Associates. The project consists of repairing a scour site downstream of State Highway 51 Bridge which crosses over the St Francis River at Fisk, Missouri, as well as a Union Pacific Railroad Bridge. These bridges serve communities in Stoddard and Butler Counties, Missouri.
  • District issues two task orders to ensure safe, reliable navigation on Mississippi River

    Working to ensure this lifeblood of American commerce flows uninterrupted, the Memphis District issued two Task Orders late last month to Midwest Construction Company for channel improvement work. These were for stone repairs to existing damaged dikes, hardpoints, revetments, and other river training structures and placement of riprap upper bank paving for stone protection above articulated concrete mattress (ACM). The work will take place at seven different river locations within the Memphis District.
  • A look back: Hamilton’s 35 years of service

    Hamilton was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957, and later adopted by his parents at the young age of six months. "I grew up here in Wynne, where the (USACE) Area Office is located (and now where he works)," he said. "And I graduated from Arkansas State University in 1982."
  • Corps to resurface 15 miles of White River Backwater levee

    The White River Backwater Levee Gravel Resurfacing Project Delivery Team (PDT) recently celebrated reaching their project’s Contract Award milestone. They awarded the contract to A-Rock Construction which will resurface 15 miles of the White River Backwater levee in Phillips and Monroe Counties, Arkansas. This maintenance work on the levee’s crown provides safe and reliable access for vehicles and monitoring levee conditions.
  • 110 miles of levee to be resurfaced in the St. Francis Basin

    Working with our local project Partner, the St. Francis Levee District of Arkansas, the St. Francis River Gravel Resurfacing Project Delivery Team (PDT) has advanced their project to the Contract Award milestone. They awarded an $8,353,877 contract to JLC Trucking to resurface 110 miles of levee in Cross, Poinsett, Craighead, and Mississippi Counties in Arkansas. This important contract maintenance work provides safe and reliable access for vehicles and monitoring levee conditions.
  • Levee in Lee County, Arkansas to be resurfaced

    The Arkansas Levee Gravel Resurfacing Project Delivery Team (PDT) celebrated reaching their project’s Contract Award milestone on July 28. They awarded the $2,631,978 contract to Polk & Associates LLC which will resurface approximately 21 miles of the mainline Mississippi River Levee in Lee County, Arkansas. This maintenance of the levee’s crown provides safe and reliable access for vehicles and monitoring levee conditions.
  • Levee in New Madrid getting resurfaced

    Conquering a milestone is a big deal for our project delivery teams (PDT). On July 28, the Missouri Levee Gravel Resurfacing PDT celebrated reaching the significant Contract Award project milestone. They awarded the $1,983,466 contract to Better by Design which will resurface approximately 22 miles of the mainline Mississippi River Levee in New Madrid, Missouri. This maintenance on the levee’s crown provides safe and reliable access for vehicles and monitoring levee conditions.
  • Contract awarded for Old Town Seepage Remediation project

    Congratulations to the Old Town Seepage Remediation Project Delivery Team on reaching their Contract Award Milestone for their project located in Arkansas and Cotton Belt Levee District Number One. The project team awarded the $5,042,556 contract to the Sytes Corporation. The project involves extending the existing seepage remediation berm. The slated begin date for construction is Oct. 16 this year, with a tentative completion date of April 2023.
  • July

    Contract awarded for Big Slough Channel Restoration project

    The Big Slough Channel Restoration project delivery team (PDT) members are feeling pretty good because they’ve reached the significant Contract Award milestone on their project. They awarded the contract to Polk & Associates, LLC.
  • District reaches important milestone on Ditch 251 cleanout project

    While we humans are not that fond of change, we have an amazing ability to adapt to change. Adaptability is a strength the Caruthersville Area Office (CAO) and our Project Delivery Teams (PDT) quickly leveraged when they had to switched to virtual pre-construction conferences to continue pushing projects forward. Five months into COVID-19 pandemic working conditions, virtual pre-construction conferences are the new normal—for now. On July 15, the CAO and PDT members held a virtual pre-construction conference to kick-off work on the Ditch 251 Lower Channel Cleanout project. The purpose of pre-construction conferences is to kick-off the project with a “face-to-face” meeting of key members from the contractor, Federal Government, and project partner to achieve a clear and mutual understanding of all contract requirements and to identify and resolve potential problems.
  • Bank Grading Unit paves way for commerce, safety

    Memphis District Commander Col. Zachary Miller recently visited Island 68, a project site in Arkansas, where he met with the district’s hardworking Bank Grading Unit and reviewed progress made at the site thus far. According to Project Manager and River/Civil Engineer Cole Stonebrook, we have done work here before as this area is particularly erosive and scours easily in moving water. “The soils in the area are very unstable and highly erosive,” he said. “We are addressing a large bank failure by grading irregularities in the bank alignment to a smooth straight alignment. The Grading Unit is grading the banks to a one on four slope,  which requires moving 220,000 cubic yards of material.”
  • Keeping a commitment to the environment

    The Memphis District has a team of scientific divers experienced in qualitative and quantitative freshwater mussel surveys and aquatic habitat investigations. The team conducts surveys in large and small rivers and various aquatic habitats throughout the country. On July 7, the dive team performed a survey in Iron Mines Creek in Marked Tree, Ark. as part of an environmental impact assessment for a creek cleanout project.
  • Providing solutions worldwide

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ vision is, “Engineering solutions for our Nation’s toughest challenges.” Not only does this vision relate to challenges here in the United States, but it applies to those encountered all over the world. Part of working toward that vision asks our employees to deploy and sometimes work for and with other agencies overseas. Recently, two members of the Memphis District volunteered to do just that.
  • June

    Slide repairs contracted in four states

    The Memphis District's Caruthersville Area Office team successfully held a virtual preconstruction conference to discuss contracts awarded for future levee slide repairs in Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee.  “The contracts furnish all plant, labor, equipment, and any incidental-related work according to the plans and specifications for repairing 18 slides under Work Area Three and 14 slides under Work Area Four for a total of 32 slides,” Lead Civil Engineer Jack Ratliff said.
  • District holds virtual preconstruction conference for West Basin Scour repairs

    Learning to love virtual meetings and conferences in the age of COVID-19 is a challenge that takes adaptability, professionalism, and a keen focus on the task at hand. That’s what the Caruthersville Area Office team learned on June 19 as they worked through a few technical issues to successfully host the West Basin Scour Repair project virtual preconstruction conference with contractor SYTE Corporation. Despite the occasional virtual meeting technical issue and COVID-19 working conditions, Memphis District team members continue to successfully execute the largest program in the District’s history. A part of this program is the West Basin Scour Repair Project, Phase 3 which will repair three scour site locations along the right descending bank of the West Basin Levee, Headwater Diversion Channel in Bollinger County, Mo. The contractor, SYTE Corporation, will stabilize the scour locations with rip-rap in order to restore the channel to pre-flood conditions. This is Phase 3 of 5 planned scour repair projects designed to protect the West Basin Levee.
  • District partners with MRPP to improve MLK Riverside Park

    Partnership has long been a driving principle for the Memphis District as we strive to best serve our region and the nation. And we are always looking for new partners and ways to strengthen existing partnerships. One of the tools that provides a vehicle for partnerships is the Planning Assistance to States (PAS) program. With this in mind, we recently launched a PAS project with the Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP) to help develop a comprehensive master plan for Martin Luther King, Jr. Riverside Park, located at 498 West Mallory. The project will identify improvements to the recreation areas to make the park more attractive to Memphis residents and visitors. Our PAS team met with MRPP President Carol Coletta and Jamal Boddie on June 18 for a site visit at the park to discuss the scope of work for a Master Plan Study.
  • Grand Prairie Widened Canal Project pre-final inspection

    Congratulations to the Memphis District Grand Prairie Widened Canal Project Delivery Team (PDT) for reaching their Pre-final Inspection milestone. On June 17, PDT members met on-site with contractor Southern Contracting to inspect construction work and develop a punch list of remaining items required to finish construction.