Rodney Williams Construction of Lompoc—a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-selected contractor—is clearing brush along the Santa Maria River Levee in preparation for the stimulus package-funded levee improvement project.
The company is removing brush, shrubs, and garbage from an approximately 3.2-mile section of the levee channel so it can begin “phase 1” repair work by April of this year, Army Corps officials said in a release to the media.
The process is reportedly being monitored by qualified biologists.
Phase 1 of the project will include strengthening the existing south levee with an 8-foot-thick layer of a soil/cement mixture. This part of the project is expected to cost a little more than $10 million.
The next phase of the project will include similar repairs to an additional 3.13 miles of the levee.
In an interview with the Sun, Army Corps spokesman Jay Field said phase 2 is currently in the bidding process, and is targeted for a contract award in February.
According to FBO.gov, a website that posts information about federally funded business opportunities, this phase of the project is estimated to cost $10 to $25 million.
Overall, the $40-million project will strengthen nearly seven miles of the levee from Blosser Road to the Bradley Canyon Levee, east of the city’s landfill. Project completion is slated for 2011.
For more information about the Santa Maria Levee Improvement Project, and other federally funded Corps projects, visit usace.army.mil/recovery.
This article appears in Jan 7-14, 2010.