Source: http://www.ci.kent.wa.us/content.aspx?id=21572 KENT, Wash. – June 27, 2012 – After nearly three years, removal of the giant sandbags from the Green River levees will begin in mid July. AGR Contracting, Inc. of Monroe, Washington won the contract after submitting
Source: http://www.ci.kent.wa.us/content.aspx?id=21572KENT, Wash. – June 27, 2012 – After nearly three years, removal of the giant sandbags from the Green River levees will begin in mid July.
AGR Contracting, Inc. of Monroe, Washington won the contract after submitting the lowest bid of just under $900,000 to remove the nearly 20,000 bags, each weighing one and a half tons.
The bags were placed along 12 miles of Kent’s levees to protect the community after the 2009 announcement by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that severe flooding was possible due to a damaged Howard Hanson Dam embankment.
“Finally we will have our Green River Trail back,” said Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke. “We all want to see these sandbags removed as fast as possible. Now that the Dam is operating at full capacity, getting them down is a top priority. I will be so glad to see Kent stop looking like a war zone.”
According to Kelly Peterson, the city’s manager of the project, the first bags to be removed will be between S. 200th and S. 212th Streets and a portion of the Horseshoe Bend Levee. “The bags in these areas are being removed first to make way for other levee improvements currently underway.”
“After these areas are cleared, the contractor will remove the remaining bags in the most efficient and cost-effective manner,” Peterson said.
Peterson said the goal is to have all bags removed by the end of September. “It may take longer, however, to fully open the Green River Trail if the sandbags caused damage that needs repair, but once the bags are gone, we can make that assessment.”
Since the Corps’ announcement last September that repairs had been completed at the Dam, the city received numerous suggestions from residents about how to use or dispose of the sandbags.
According to Peterson, the material inside is low grade fill, and is not marketable as premium sand. It isn’t suitable for sanding streets, gardens, sandboxes, or constructing sidewalks and patios.
“Because of the weight of the bags, they can only be loaded into dump trucks with heavy equipment such as an excavator. Using the wrong equipment could damage the thin asphalt trail, or the levees themselves,” Peterson said. “We also need to be mindful of the location of these bags. Accidentally breaking or spilling them into the river could violate state and federal laws, causing even more expensive cleanup costs and potential lawsuits for damaging endangered fish habitat.”
The King County Flood Control Zone District will pay for the project cost through delaying other levee projects along the Green River.
AGR Contracting, Inc. will deliver the fill material to Cedar Grove Composting, who will evaluate the material for its best use in their operations.
Peterson said the Green River Trail will reopen for full use when all the work is completed, though some segments may open sooner. “While we don’t anticipate any road closures during this project, we ask the community for patience as this work gets underway. We want to restore the Trail for full use as soon as possible.”
Contact:
Michelle Wilmot, Community & Public Affairs
253-856-5709
mwilmot@kentwa.gov
