Northwest Demolition was contracted for a metals removal and revetment construction project on the United States Army Garrison at Kwajalein Atoll. The site included over 2,000LF of exposed shoreline adjacent to several historic Navy dump sites dating back to World War II. Much of the shoreline metal debris was burned after dumping, causing it to fuse together in a thick ‘slag’ material. Additionally, the discovery of materials of explosive concern (MEC) and unexploded ordinance (UXO) during excavation operations required a modification to work plan and safety procedures. Northwest Demolition mobilized a specialized fleet of excavators, equipped with ballistic glass and steel reinforcement. For especially sensitive areas, the excavators were operated remotely from a safe distance via a complex system of mounted cameras, GPS systems, and custom-installed remote control (R/C) conversion kits.

Due to the remote location of the project site, over 28,000 tons of armor stone was barged to the island for placement with a long-stick excavator. The robust engineering design involved the notching or cutting of a ‘keyway’ into the reef substrate to anchor the stabilization structure in place.

In total, over 2 million pounds of scrap metal and waste was removed from the shoreline, processed, and transported to the mainland for recycling and disposal. In addition, nearly 20,000 CY of MEC-containing and PCB contaminated soil was removed and stockpiled in an on-island landfill. This project demonstrates Northwest Demolition’s technical versatility, specialized equipment capabilities, and experience managing complex operations in remote locations.