The $1.9-billion LA River Ecosystem Restoration Project aims to restore 11 miles of the LA River, from Griffith Park to downtown LA, and is one of three public-private partnerships, or P3, pilot projects in the Corps. The Los Angeles County Drainage Area, or LACDA, system includes about 45 miles of flood levees and channels, under the responsibility of the Corps to operate and maintain, and a larger federal project with the nonfederal partner, the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, consisting of 517 miles of channels and levees, 26 debris basins and five flood-risk-management dams.īaker also learned about the LA River Ecosystem Restoration Project from LA Metro Project Branch Chief Priyanka Wadhawan and Lead Civil Engineer Robert Kwan from a key vantage point at Elysian Park near downtown LA. Modification of the spillway is the last feature of the project to be constructed, which includes raising the spillway by 20 feet.īaker’s final series of stops were at sites throughout the Los Angeles County Drainage Area System, including Whittier Narrows Dam, where he learned about the ongoing dam safety modification project and also met with team members, including Mega Projects Division Project Manager George Sunny, Operations Division Chief Mark Cohen, Operations and Maintenance Division Program Manager Malia Pearson and Resident Engineer Jose Rocha. Prado Dam, which reduces flood risk to more than 1.3 million people working in four counties and more than $80 billion in property, is undergoing modifications to provide additional capacity for storage of floodwaters and sediment by enlarging the existing Prado Dam and reservoir, which included raising the main dam embankment, replacing the outlet works, constructing other embankments, also known as dikes, and improving the downstream channel. Later that day, Baker got a close-up look at some of the missions that comprise the Santa Ana River Mainstem Project - including the Prado Dam and Spillway in Corona - while meeting with more key team members, including Mega Projects Division Deputy Chief Leanne Van Tuyl and Operations Division Project Manager Phil Serpa. The work there is a multi-purpose, flood-risk management ecosystem restoration and recreation project designed to provide urban flood protection to the communities of Murrieta and Temecula in Riverside County. On April 6, Balten and Baker met with Santa Ana River Mainstem Project Manager Derek Walker and Murrieta Creek Project Manager Damien Lariviere during a series of stops in Temecula to learn about recent and upcoming improvements to Murrieta Creek, a tributary of the Santa Margarita River mainstem. “I just can’t wait to get started,” Baker said. Speaking as a veteran future district commander, Baker told the group members he appreciated their work and how the VA’s new and modern medical buildings and living center will benefit other veterans. Part of the tour led to a literal light at the end of a dark and incomplete, long pedestrian tunnel that, when completed, will link the new facilities. It was the Corps’ first major VA construction project to break ground in the region.Īfter meeting with contractors, Corps’ engineers and project managers, Baker toured all the project’s sites, asking questions and inspecting rooms. The mega project broke ground on Veterans Day in 2018 and is projected to be complete in 2024. Next, Baker got an inside look at the construction of the new 181,000-square-foot Community Living Center and separate, nearly complete 80,000-plus-square-foot mental health in-patient and out-patient facilities at the VA Long Beach Medical Center. The Port of Long Beach is a major destination of container and liquid bulk ships. Port Executive Director Mario Cordero and senior port officers hosted the meeting and then boarded a boat to tour sections to be dredged, widened and deepened by the LA District for the safety of deep-draft vessels. Julie Balten and Deputy District Engineer Justin Gay during his trip, which included site visits to the Port of Long Beach, Department of Veterans Affairs Long Beach Health Care System medical complex, Murrieta Creek, Prado and Whittier Narrows dams, and various sites along the LA River.īaker began April 3 at the Port of Long Beach, where he was briefed by LA District Coastal Projects Manager Doland Cheung, Navigation Section Chief Jim Fields, Navigation and Coastal Branch Chief Steve Dwyer and ecologist Larry Smith for an overview of the partnership between the port and the Corps. Andrew Baker, who is scheduled to assume the role of district commander in July, was accompanied by LA District Commander Col. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District commander took time out to meet with the LA District’s team and partners April 3-7 as he toured project sites throughout Southern California to learn about the district’s diverse and extensive mission set.Ĭol.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |