J.E. McAmis: Sand Island operations in full swing

J.E. McAmis crews touched down on Sand Island (Columbia River) this weekend.

Equipment was barged to Sand Island and rock barges are being loaded for recommencement of placement this morning.

These efforts are to build shore connections for the USACE Portland District’s Sand Island Pile Dikes Project, which McAmis is performing as a subcontractor to Advanced American Construction, Inc.

“Engineers estimate that J.E. McAmis will pull more than 5,000 timber pilings and place more than 150,000 tons of rock on the project,” according to the latest update.

Overall, the long-deferred project involves pulling out long lines of pilings driven deep into the silt and the horizontal spreaders between them, and then installing replacement structures.

This reduces the need for dredging, stabilizes navigation corridors, protects river and island banks, and helps create and protect shallow-water habitat.