NEW MADRID, MO (WSIL) -- The City of New Madrid's Mississippi River boat ramp is getting some repairs in the coming months.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers out of Memphis awarded Graylee Construction, from Ward, AR, a contract for the rehabilitation and repair of the boat ramp.
$959,000 was awarded for the project, money as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers state the BIL invests $17 million in port infrastructure and waterways, meant to strengthen U.S. supply chains and support competitiveness by removing bottlenecks, expediting commerce, and reducing the environmental impact on neighboring communities.
"This project is significant because it will allow the Corps to rehabilitate and repair a critical "on-ramp" to the Mississippi River � a ramp that is important infrastructure to both the public and government," said Project Manager Zach Cook.
The Corps uses this boat ramp to launch survey boats for Dredge Hurley and other mission-critical navigation initiatives up and down the river.
Work is planned to start in the spring or early summer of 2023 once river stages are low enough and the weather is warm enough to pour concrete. The boat ramp will be closed to the public during construction and the construction is expected to take roughly 60 days.
"Work will consist of repairing damaged portions of the existing concrete slab,� said Cook. “This includes the existing subgrade under the ramp, which has voids between the ground and existing slab. The project will also involve placing new 1 foot-thick cast-in-place and push-in-place concrete slabs over the existing ramp, as well as armoring the riverside and landside of the boat ramp with stone. The armoring will protect the new ramp from future damage caused by waves and towboats that commonly use it for things like crew changes and loading groceries."
The City of New Madrid and the St. John's Levee Drainage District are partners in the project.
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