OK sought for Heritage Energy bulkhead
Owners of the Kingston Point Terminal serving the Heritage Energy tanks along the Hudson River are seeking approval to construct a new bulkhead to be used by vessels when docking to unload oil.
The project was tabled during city Planning Board meeting Monday while officials wait for more information.
Plans call for the new bulkhead to be 321 feet long and go in front of the existing bulkhead, with engineers reporting in the application that a replacement project could cause other problems.
“Please note that because of the existing construction and the close proximity of the existing concrete containment wall for the oil terminal, it is not feasible or practical to remove the existing bulkhead to allow for the installation of the new bulkhead,” engineer Kurt Dietrich wrote.
“There is significant danger of the existing containment wall collapsing if the existing bulkhead were to be removed,” he wrote. “The precarious condition of the existing bulkhead is the reason for constructing a new bulkhead.”
Dietrich and Heritage Energy Chief Operating Officer Ken Davenport did not return calls for comment about the project.
Information was not immediately available about the age of the existing bulkhead. The application notes the new bulkhead would be separated from the face of the existing structure.
“It is proposed to install the sheeting directly in front of the bulkhead,” Dietrich wrote. “Given the uneven character of the existing bulkhead, we have allowed for a tolerance of 2 inches ... It is proposed that the face of the new steel sheeting will not be more than 18 inches waterward from the face of the existing bulkhead.”
Under the plan, there would be 141 cubic yards of fill used below the average high water line and 535 cubic yards in total between the old and new bulkheads.
“There is no placement of rip rap along the base of the sheeting,” Dietrich wrote. “There is existing rip rap to the north and south of the existing bulkhead. Some of this may have to be temporarily removed to allow for the installation of the steel sheeting for the north and south bulkhead returns.”