The Huntington District continues to execute by moving forward with the $319 million award of the final phase of construction on Bluestone Dam to Brayman Construction. This award is the largest construction contract award within the Bi-Partisan Budget Act 2018 portfolio. This award is also the first construction contract award over $100 million within the portfolio and accounts for one-third of LRD's FY18 Emergency Supplemental Program.
"The awarding of the Bluestone Dam Safety Assurance Phase 5 Stilling Basin contract to Brayman Construction for $319.6 million represents the culmination of almost 20 years of studying, partnering, designing, modeling and other construction efforts to reduce the risk associated with flooding and create a safer environment in the New / Kanawha River basins for West Virginians to live, recreate and ultimately prosper,” said William “Josh” Miller, Bluestone Dam project manager. “This construction project will provide a concrete armored stilling basin anchored to bedrock that dissipates the energy of the water from large spillway releases and also prevents a undermining scour effect that could dislocate the dam. Upon completion of this construction project, the Bluestone Dam will be able to more reliably control and pass water in extreme flooding events."
The award of the Phase 5 contract accelerates the project by over 6 years and concludes the design, modeling and development of 3,150 pages of specifications and 1,466 drawings in an astonishing 12 months. Phase 5 completion was originally estimated to take four times that long. Over the last year, this team has put in 92,000 labor hours and made personal and professional sacrifices to move dirt and deliver this flood risk management project ahead of the original schedule. This phase will fortify the stilling basin and reduce hydraulic energy, reducing the probability of scour failure during an extreme flood scenario.