— from Jacob Heinen for San Juan County Public Works —
Excavation was the primary focus on-site this week at the West Beach Road construction site, roughly 5000 cubic yards of material were removed. After digging beneath the sandy roadway fill operators hit a vein of blue clay around the native streambed. The existing culvert was pulled out Tuesday morning and the headwall came out Wednesday afternoon.
Operators have been able to delicately excavate around the old growth trees and have avoided major root damage.
Dirt and clay weren’t the only materials excavated this week. Decomposing logs (remnants of the timber trestle), a car, and a suspicious number of empty beer bottles were also unearthed. Geotechnical field tests were performed on Wednesday to confirm the bearing pad design and examine the material to be placed within the upcoming Hilfiker MSE wall.
Next week’s work includes completing the bearing pad, realigning West Beach Creek, and forming the footings to support the culvert.
