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Posts Tagged ‘sand’

Photo of the Day: Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy (CRAB) in Coney Island

Posted in Photo of the Day, Photography, tagged beach, Beach replenishment, Beach restoration, Coney Island, Coney Island Beach, Hurricane Sandy, post-Sandy, sand, Sandy, US Army Corps of Engineers, USACE on September 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy (CRAB) on Coney Island Beach. September 22, 2013. Photo © Tricia Vita

It was a gorgeous Sunday for walking on the Coney Island Boardwalk but what in the world was that tripod-like vehicle on the beach? We knew it had something to do with the US Army Corps of Engineers Post-Sandy Beach Replenishment Project currently underway, so we phoned their Public Affairs Department. Press Officer Chris Gardner says it is a CRAB aka Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy. This unique 18,000 lb. vehicle has a top speed of 2 mph on land and somewhat less in the water. Power is supplied by a 53-hp Volkswagen engine on the deck which drives a hydraulic pump. In the photo below that Gardner took on Friday, the CRAB is surveying a profile of the beach. You can see more photos from the set here.

A Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy (CRAB) heads into the water by the Steeplechase Pier at Coney Island to gather data on the beach profile. September 20, 2013. Photo by Chris Gardener via New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

As ATZ reported earlier this month, the $7.2 million project to pump 600,000 cubic yards of sand along Coney Island’s shore began the weekend after Labor Day. Approximately 272,000 cubic yards of sand is replacing sand lost during Hurricane Sandy and the remaining amount of sand is to restore the project area to its original design after 20 years of erosion. According to the USACE, the engineered beach is designed to act as a buffer and reduce risks to homes and businesses from coastal storms like Hurricane Sandy. The crews will be working non-stop for another 2 to 3 weeks in order to be finished before the hurricane season.

Coney Island Post-Sandy Beach Restoration, September 20, 2013. Photo by Chris Gardener via New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Last Chance to See Coney Island’s 15th Street Sand Dunes

Posted in Photo of the Day, Photography, tagged beach, Coney Island, Hurricane Sandy, sand, sand dunes, Superstorm Sandy, US Army Corps of Engineers, West 15th Street on February 1, 2013| 1 Comment »

On Wednesday afternoon in Coney Island, the Parachute Jump was barely visible through the fog and there wasn’t a soul on West 15th Street. There were only the footprints on the temporary sand dunes, which will not be staying around as a tourist attraction. The sand, which was blown off the beach by Superstorm Sandy, is being cleaned by the Extec screener in the photo below and returned to the beach. As ATZ reported in November, the Army Corps of Engineers established a “temporary storage site,” or TSS, at West 15th Street after moving an estimated 32,000 cubic yards of sand, the equivalent of roughly 12 Olympic-size swimming pools, out of Coney Island neighborhoods to nearby Jacob Riis Park.