<p>The public will not have access to the north jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River beginning in October 2014, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins the next phase of its major rehabilitation of the jetty system.</p>

Some big projects are coming down the Columbia River this and the next seven years.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, tasked with maintaining the Columbia River channel and jetties, starts dredging next month and wraps up in October. By then, it closes public access to the North Jetty near Cape Disappointment, Wash., for its rehabilitation.

Rivers change course naturally, including at the mouth, said Michelle Helms, a spokeswoman for the Corps. The jetties keep the river and navigation channel from migrating. They keep it consistent for mariners transiting the bar. The jetties also keep some sediment from being swept from the Pacific Ocean into the mouth of the river, which minimizes how much needs dredged.

Helms said theres no exact schedule for when and where dredging will occur. She recommended people consult the U.S. Coast Guards weekly updated Local Notice to Mariners at http://1.usa.gov/1lzVwHD for specifics.

Survey crews from the Corps continuously monitor shoaling the accumulation of sediment that lessens water depth and publishes results at http://1.usa.gov/1rYJZHg.

Jetty rehab

The Corps is spreading out the rehabilitation of the three-jetty system, built between 1895 and 1939 at the mouth of the Columbia, between October and 2021.

The first stage starts in October, when the Corps mobilizes crews to replace a culvert under Jetty Road in Cape Disappointment State Park and fill in the lagoon at the root of the North Jetty. The project stops erosion and stabilizes and protects the root of the jetty.

The work shouldnt have any impact on maritime traffic, said Helms. We do want to let people know there will be some impact for visitors to Cape Disappointment State Park. Construction activities will affect people who plan to fish off the North Jetty, because access will be restricted for the next couple of years.

Visitors to the state park should expect road and parking lot closures near the North Jetty. After the culvert work is complete, Jetty Road between the east parking lot and the gravel parking lot will be closed Monday through Friday and open on weekends and holidays. A fence will identify the active construction site.

The critical repairs of the North Jetty run between June 2015 and October 2016. Starting in the spring of 2016, 30-ton armor stones used in the repairs start arriving on flatbed trucks. Ultimately, the repairs will take about 40,000 tons of stone.

Rehabilitation continues on Jetty A, inland near Baker Bay, between 2015 and 2016, the North Jetty between 2016 and 2019 and the South Jetty between 2017 and 2021.

Interim repairs were completed for the North and South jetties from 2004 to 2007. The North Jetty interim repair was completed in November 2005, with 58,000 tons of stone placed over 3,000 feet. The South Jetty interim repair was completed in September 2007, with 168,000 tons placed over 5,300 feet.

For more information, visit http://1.usa.gov/VdV2la.