The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current, June 25, 2021, Image 4

The Columbia press., June 25, 2021, Page 4, Image 4

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Newspaper Page Text4 The Columbia Press June 25, 2021 Jetty: Contractor has spotless safety record Continued from Page 1 cost of $30 million. North Jet- ty in Ilwaco is 2 ½ miles long and underwent reconstruction in 2018-2020 at a cost of $80 million. But the grand-daddy recon- struction project in Fort Ste- vens State Park cost more than $147 million (in 2012 dollars) and is taking five years to fin- ish, estimated for 2023. “Sourcing the perfect size and density of stone from across the West Coast is a big job in itself when you need to rebuild a weather-worn jetty,” writes Jason Davenport, a photog- rapher invited to tour the worksite earlier this month. “The challenges don’t stop at sourcing stones or even getting them on site. Once they’re on site, they have to be weighed and numbered, then placed in just the right spot so they’ll lock in place correctly and stay within the design guidelines of the project.” Even before the jetty proj- ects, the Army Corps spent 20 years improving the Columbia River channel, deepening it by 3 feet along a 103-mile stretch from the Pacific Ocean to Portland. Ports along the way co-sponsored the deepening to accommodate the massive car- go ships from all parts of the globe. The navigation channel is economically essential to the region and the nation. More than $20 billion worth of cargo Courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Three excavators work to shore up a section of South Jetty. travels from the ocean to ports inland every year. The Port of Portland estimates more than 40,000 jobs depend upon the sea commerce. In addition, 1,000 firms in the Northwest export goods along the Columbia River. Reconstruction of the jet- ties, which ease the journey across the bar from ocean to river, isn’t just a huge task. It’s downright dangerous. Humongous boulders. Ex- tremely heavy equipment. Gale-force winds. A crazy wild surf. Slippery, slimy rocks. “Working in a marine and heavy construction environ- ment is typically associated with incident rates higher than the average across the construction industry due to difficult and exposed working conditions, coupled with ever- changing weather and dynam- ic tidal conditions that create inherent safety risks,” accord- ing to Col. Michael Helton, district commander for the Army Corps. Yet contractor McAmis has had no Occupational Safety and Health Administration recordable incidents after more than 70,000 workhours on site. The Department of the Army recently gave the company a citation recognizing its excel- lent jetty construction safety record. “Jetty stone placement oper- ations typically require spot- ters and other personnel to climb on and around the jetty structure on uneven, irregu- lar and often slick surfaces to inspect for proper stone in- stallation,” Helton wrote in the citation. “Over this period, several safety improvements have been implemented that include operational changes, more suitable PPE and a pro- active focus on rescue proce- dures. The excellent safety re- cord is a direct result of these innovations and the commit- ment of J.E. McAmis person- nel and government staff at all levels of safety.” It’s no wonder the company’s slogan is “Delivering the im- possible since 1973.”