The Piscataquis County Commissioners are seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, to conduct work in waters of the U.S. in conjunction with stabilizing Williamsburg Road Bridge in Williamsburg Township, Maine.
The applicant proposes to place temporary and permanent fill material below the ordinary high water line of Whetstone Brook in Williamsburg Township in order to remediate ongoing scouring of the substructure of the Williamsburg Road Bridge.
The proposed in-water work window is July 15 to September 30, said USACE.
Proposed work will include construction of upstream and downstream sandbag cofferdams as well as a pumping system to divert water around the project area.
A second pumping system will remove water from within the cofferdams. Once water is diverted from the work area and the area dewatered, contractors will excavate stream bed materials from around the footings and then install partially grouted riprap to within 6 inches of the streambed elevation.
Excavated stream bed materials supplemented with native rocks and boulders will be used as backfill over the riprap to match natural stream bed elevations.
The proposed work will result in approximately 590 square feet of instream impacts. Standard erosion controls will be installed and maintained throughout construction, according to the official statement.
Public comments on this work proposed by the Piscataquis County Commissioners should be forwarded no later than May 14, 2018 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District.