2025 East Best Projects
Award of Merit, Small Project: USACE Indian River Inlet Bulkhead and Jetty Repairs
USACE Indian River Inlet Bulkhead and Jetty Repairs
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Award of Merit
Submitted by Agate Construction Co.
Owner/Lead Designer: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
General Contractor: Agate Construction Co.
Additional Engineering: Peirce Engineering Inc.
After a deep scour hole caused by swift tidal currents undermined the inlet’s stabilized shoreline slope and adjacent landward infrastructure, the team repaired the damage by installing a steel sheet pile wall and a steel combi-wall system, consisting of both sheet piling and H-piles.
Approximately 12,000 tons of new riprap provides slope stabilization and wave energy dissipation. Additionally, the $8.7-million project included sand-tightening measures along a 215-ft segment of the inlet’s south jetty.
Photo courtesy Agate Construction
This phase of the project involved installation of steel sheet piling designed to minimize sand migration into the inlet, thereby improving sediment control and maintaining navigability.
Land-based construction was complicated by strict loading limitations due to the presence of an underlying clay layer, which posed a risk of global slope failure.
A comprehensive stability analysis determined that work could be safely executed from land with proper planning and load management strategies, allowing the construction to proceed safely.
