The Memphis District recently finished the first Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funded construction project on the Mississippi River near Caruthersville, Missouri.
The Corps partnered with the Lower Mississippi River Committee (LOMRC) and commercial towing industry to complete the $1.15 million revetment maintenance project at Little Cypress near Mississippi River Mile 863.
Prime contractor Midwest Construction Company from Kansas City, Missouri, and subcontractor Luhr Bros., Inc. from Columbia, Illinois, executed the construction of revetment stone repairs at this critical bend of the river in Pemiscot County.
“Work consisted of placing approximately 43 thousand tons of “Graded Stone C (400 pound maximum stone size)” to repair seven riverbank failures along an approximate 4-mile reach of the existing revetted riverbank,” Project Manager Zach Cook added. “Work started on August 13 and was completed in two weeks."
The Memphis District is responsible for maintaining a safe and dependable navigation channel for 355 miles of the Mississippi River, from Cairo, Illinois (River Mile 954) to the mouth of the White River near Rosedale, Mississippi (River Mile 599).
To ensure a safe and navigable river, district teams work diligently throughout the year by performing different types of construction and maintenance, including revetments, dikes, and other river training structures.
“Revetment is placed against the banks of the river at locations where mainline levees are threatened or where unsatisfactory alignment and channel conditions are developing,” Cook said. “Revetments assist in stabilizing the riverbanks and maintaining a desirable channel alignment and act as important river infrastructure. ”
Cook’s explanation of revetment’s purpose and, ultimately, the resulting benefits of this type of river infrastructure is precisely why projects of this nature are so important.
Congratulations to the project delivery team members for their hard work and dedication to completing this important IIJA-funded project. Also, we thank our partners with LOMRC and the commercial towing industry for their exceptional and unwavering support.