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Posts Tagged ‘US Army Corps of Engineers’

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 »

Sand Dune with Parachute Jump, W 15th Street, Coney Island. January 30, 2013. Photo © Tricia Vita via flickr

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.

Temporary Sand Dunes at W 15th Street, Coney Island. January 30, 2013. Photo © Tricia Vita via flickr

Photos of the Day: Coney Island Street Dunes by Jay Singer

Posted in Photo of the Day, Photography, tagged Army, beach, Coney Island, Hurricane Sandy, Jay Singer, sand dunes, United States, US Army Corps of Engineers on November 25, 2012| 1 Comment »

W 15th Street Dunes, Coney Island. November 25, 2012. Photo © Jay Singer

During Hurricane Sandy, Coney Island’s beach lost two to three feet of sand. Windblown sand covered the boardwalk and adjacent streets, burying the kiddie rides and parking meters. Volunteers spent days sweeping and shoveling it back where it belonged. Over the weekend, the ~~Parks Department~~ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed West 15th Street and created temporary sand dunes from the Boardwalk to Wonder Wheel Way, and they are still adding sand. It looks like a movie set. Somebody should make a movie before these dreamlike street dunes disappear. “The sand was all trucked over from the huge sand dunes the storm created at the foot of Ocean Parkway,” says Coney Island photographer and filmmaker Jay Singer, who snapped a series of surreal photos. “Fresh clean sand, to be redistributed back onto the beach.”

UPDATE November 27, 2012:

More info on the street dunes via today’s post on the U.S. Army’s official homepage! According to the update, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contracted crews have been working 12-hour night shifts to clear up the sand blown by Sandy onto Coney Island’s streets. In Army parlance, the West 15th Street dunes are a TSS –temporary storage site — and since Saturday over 230 trucks carried an estimated 4,600 cubic yards to the TSS.

To date, the Army Corps has moved 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, a temporary collection site currently used for holding Sandy-related debris.

Last week though, Riis was nearing its capacity for sand placement. In order to avoid any delays to cleanup, the Army Corps decided to establish a temporary storage site, or TSS, at West 15th Street on Coney Island. The site is located directly adjacent to the amusement park, home to such landmarks as Nathan’s Hotdogs and the Cyclone rollercoaster. With the street blocked off, the Army Corps has set up a scissor lift in order to scan trucks.

The article says the sand will eventually be returned to area beaches by the city’s Department of Environmental Protection after being inspected for public safety. In the meantime, instead of referring to Coney’s 15th Street dunes as a “TSS,” how about calling them a “TTA” – Temporary Tourist Attraction!

Related posts on ATZ...

November 1, 2012: Photos of the Day: Devastation at Coney Island’s Sea Gate

October 31, 2012: Photo Album: Hurricane Sandy’s Aftermath in Coney Island

October 29, 2012: Photos of the Day: Hurricane Sandy Approaches Coney Island

September 25, 2012: Video of the Day: Gotta Love Coney Island by Jay Singer