Corps Breaks Ground On Automated Casting Facility
The Memphis Engineer District held a groundbreaking ceremony August 18 to mark the start of construction of a new automated casting facility at Richardson Landing, near Drummonds, Tenn.
The facility will modernize how the Corps of Engineers produces articulated concrete mattress (ACM). This revetment material protects Mississippi River banks from erosion and helps support and maintain a safe, reliable navigation channel.
The controlled, indoor automated casting process will boost capacity to roughly 150,000 squares of ACM annually, directly supporting the sinking requirements of Armor 1, the Corps’ new Mat Sinking Unit. The $43.98 million design-build contract was awarded to Salas O’Brien Federal, LLC, with construction completion targeted for fall 2028.
The project underscores the Corps’ commitment to the Mississippi River Channel Improvement Program and the communities and industries that depend on this vital navigation system, according to a news release from the Memphis Engineer District.
The district extended special thanks to dignitaries in attendance, including Tennessee Sen. Paul Rose, James Reeder of the Mississippi River Commission, Mississippi Valley Division acting Commander Col. James Pence and Salas O’Brien Federal Senior Managing Principal Harry Kleiser.
Featured photo caption: Dignitaries at the August 18 groundbreaking ceremony for the new automated casting facility prepare to ceremonially turn the first shovels of dirt. It will produce articulated concrete mattress for armoring the banks of the Mississippi River to prevent erosion. (Photo courtesy of Memphis Engineer District)
