Newaukum Valley Road MP 1.085 to MP 1.105
Chehalis, WA 98532
Project of the year 2022 under $5M
During heavy rains in 2019, the bank of the Newaukum River pictured above was blasted by floodwaters after the flow of the river at a sharp bend just upstream suddenly changed. The bank was eroding quickly, and after this event the Newaukum Valley Road was under threat of undermining and failure. Over a 1 year period, the bank slowly crept closer to the roadway, and the Lewis County Department of Public Works declared a state of emergency for the road, and the project earned FEMA funding.
When the project was awarded in the summer of 2021, time was short to stabilize the bank and prepare it for the next rainy season. Tunista construction opted to fully assemble the ballasted log jacks pictured above at an off-site location to minimize traffic impact, and the log jacks were trucked in and placed using a crane in just two days. This project is already yielding effective change, as the river is going through its rainy season again and flow is high in the winter of 2021-2022. No further bank encroachment is occurring thanks to the combined efforts of the NHC design team and the expedited timeline for completion executed by Tunista Construction, finishing work 18 days faster than anticipated by the contracting team.
The project received great reception from the client and the local press after the bank stood up to a large flood event in 2021.
Project Info
Prime Contractor:
Tunista Construction, LLC
33400 8th Ave. S., Ste. 105
Federal Way, WA 98003
Client:
Lewis County Dept. of Public Works
2025 NE Kresky Ave.
Chehalis, WA 98532
Engineer/Designer:
Northwest Hydraulic Consultants (NHC)
12787 Gateway Drive. S.
Seattle, WA 98168
Contract Type:
Lump Sum Bid
Start Date (NTP):
8/11/2021
Completion Date:
09/17/2021
Original Contract Amount:
$595,217.00
Final Contract Amount:
$573,618.16