Travis Lake, one of Fort A.P. Hill's beautiful and historical recreational spots for boating, fishing and lodging, would have been in jeopardy if the post didn't make the necessary improvements.
In 2010, the installation initiated the solicitation to replace the cracked spillway and deteriorated culvert pipes. The old gate valve was frozen in a closed position, making it impossible to regulate the levels in the lake. In addition, water and sewer lines that service the surrounding areas run down the middle of the dam, said Jean Schofield, the Fort A.P. Hill Contracting Officer's representative for the joint-venture project with Noah Enterprises of Williamsburg and MEB General Contractors of Chesapeake, Va.
"The spillway had to be replaced due to its state of failure; there was no way to repair it. If we didn't replace it, we could have possibly lost the entire upper Travis Lake," Schofield said.
The $496,000 project began in November 2011 and was completed in January 2012. The project included removing an old pier, gate valve, old spillway and culverts. They were replaced with a concrete spillway, precast headwalls and aluminum stop log structure. The new spillway with stop logs allows for enhanced pond management from a fisheries and aquatic plant life standpoint. Water levels can now be lowered when the need arises, according to Schofield.
The original slope was re-graded to be more gradual, with an addition of rip-rap along the downstream side to prevent erosion. The entire length of the dam was repaved and the guardrail was replaced to meet Federal Highway and Virginia Department of Transportation standards.
Prior to joining Schofield and the contractors to cut a ribbon tied to the guardrails, Fort A.P. Hill Garrison Commander Lt. Col. Jack Haefner congratulated Noah Enterprises and MEB for a job well-done, adding "Your project is doing great things in terms of cultural and biodiversity health of your Nation's resources."
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