Keithsburg, IL – July 19, 2019, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District awarded a Design-Bid-Build, 8(a) non-competitive procurement (Sole Source) to perform emergency dredging on the Mississippi River near Keithsburg, IL. Vazquez worked 24-hour, continuous operations for several months to remove over 2,000 CY of colluvium deposits each day. VCC deployed a floating plant, safety boat, a dozen marine construction personnel, tools, and equipment to remove accumulated deposits and sediment from the riverbed. The Mississippi River originates as a tiny outlet stream from Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota. During a meandering 2,350-mile journey south to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi is joined by the Ohio and Missouri Rivers. Water from parts or all of 31 states drains into the Mississippi River to create a drainage basin over 1,245,000 square miles. Barge traffic on the river causes bank erosion, turbidity, sediment resuspension, and disruption of native species habitats. Consequently, the river must be dredged more often, and levees constructed to keep the waterway navigable for more frequent and larger barges on the river. In 1993, the town of Keithsburg suffered devastating, irreversible damage when the MS River overran the town, causing catastrophic damage
“This was a rapid response contract requiring VCC and the subcontractor team to mobilize and begin marine operations within days of notification. The Mississippi is a complex and swift-moving waterway; the water in this area can be unpredictable and can become very dangerous for commercial and recreational watercraft. I am extremely pleased the USACE selected Vazquez to perform this critical infrastructure work for the Rock Island District,” said Joe Vazquez, President of Vazquez Commercial Contracting.
