ARTICLES
October 30, 2018
International
36 Out of the OrdinaryTrees may be a rare sight in Saudi Arabia, but that hasn't stopped one marine construction project in this land of rock and sand from utilizing timber pilings. Here's how U.S. company American Pole and Timber got involved.
Project of the Year Awards
48 Land: Less than $500,000Legacy Contracting, Inc.
52 Land: $500,000 to $2 MillionBlakeslee Arpaia Chapman, Inc.
56 Land: $2 Million to $5 MillionCorman Kokosing Construction
60 Marine: Less than $500,000Legacy Contracting, Inc.
64 Marine: $500,000 to $2 MillionBalfour Beatty US
72 Preparing Next Year's Entries
Member Profiles
75 Corman Kokosing Construction
83 GeoStructures Inc.
89 Creative Pultrusions Inc.
95 Giken Ltd.
101 Shannon & Wilson, Inc.
Steel
107 Evolution of Steel Piling and High Modulus Walls for Post Panamax Marine Structures
Timber
111 The Use of Treated Timber in Aquatic Applications
Concrete
115 Confinement ReinforcementRequirements for concrete piles
Safety
118 Stop Crane and Excavator Accidents
119 Pre-Task Form
121 Long Form Critical Lift Plan
Legal
123 New RulesKey changes in the new AIA A201 General Conditions
PDCA Committees
127 PDCA Contracts and Risk Committee:The Engineer's Role in Mitigating Risk on Pile Driving Projects,An operational and legal perspective
PDCA Young Guns
129 Paul Martin, McCrossin Foundations
131 Ryan Allin, GRL Engineers, Inc.
6 President's Message
13 Executive Director's Message
16 201819 Board of Directors and Committee Chairs
19 PDCA Upcoming Events
21 PDCA Membership Benefits
25 Article Submission Guidelines
29 New PDCA Members
31 PDCA News
33 PDCA Chapters
Membership benefits of PDCA and its local chapters
October 30, 2018
The Pile Driving Contractors Association (PDCA) is the only association globally that exclusively represents the driven pile industry.
PDCA offers the strength and experience of its more than two decades as an association representing the driven pile industry and provides a forum for members to promote driven piles in all cases where they are effective.
PDCA members include contractors, equipment and materials manufacturers and suppliers, engineers, academicians and end-users that take a dedicated and proactive approach to advancing the benefits of the driven pile, such as environmental benefits, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and rapid productivity.
PDCA membership gives contractors a larger voice in influencing and establishing procedures and standards for the installation of driven piles.
PDCA members meet and work directly with all public agencies to ensure our industry is equally represented in all deep foundations and earth retention design and construction specifications.
PDCA members share up-to-date and relevant industry information in the areas of equipment, technology, safety, business and more, so contractors can stay on the cutting edge of efficiency and productivity designed to increase their financial bottom line.
PDCA members work with other non-competitive groups on issues of mutual concern to the deep foundation industry.
The best way to gain value from your PDCA and chapter membership is simply to get involved. Ask any PDCA member how!
PDCA chapters and locations
PDCA chapters conduct regular meetings to provide members a local forum to be able to network, while also featuring industry keynote speakers from the driven pile and deep foundations industry. Regionally, the chapters host and conduct technical seminars and conferences to educate contractors, engineers and others associated with the pile driving industry.
All PDCA members are encouraged to join a chapter. Find out more information about a chapter near you at www.piledrivers.org/chapters.
PDCA of the Northeast Chapter
Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont
PDCA of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C.
PDCA of South Carolina Chapter
North Carolina and South Carolina
PDCA of Florida Chapter
Florida
PDCA of the Gulf Coast Chapter
Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi
PDCA of Texas Chapter
Texas
PDCA of the Pacific Coast Chapter
Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming
PDCA of the Pacific Northwest Chapter
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Alberta and British Columbia
PDCA committees
PDCA encourages all members to participate on a committee of their choice.
Committee participation is voluntary; however, it is a great way to add value to your membership for those who choose to be actively involved. Joining and participating on a PDCA committee aligns you with like-minded industry individuals seeking to achieve common goals. Your industry and personal career will benefit.
Contact the PDCA office to find out more about how to join a committee. All interested PDCA members are invited to attend committee conference calls at any time to see if that committee is right for you.
PDCA committees include:
Associate Member Council
Chapters
Communications
Contracts and Risk
Education
Finance
Market Development
Membership
Safety and Environment
Steel Sheet Pile
Technical
Education
PDCA members, especially those who serve on the PDCA Education Committee, have developed many educational programs aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability and safety of the driven pile industry.
PDCA's current education programming includes:
PDCA Annual International Conference & Expo
Design and Installation of Cost-Efficient Piles Conference (DICEP)
Deep Foundation Dynamic Testing and Analysis Workshop
Pile Load Test Options Course
Pile Driving Inspectors Course
Pile Driving Professionals Development Course
Steel Bearing Piles & Sheet Walls in Infrastructure
Engineers' Driven Pile Institute (EDPI)
Professors' Driven Pile Institute (PDPI)
International Foundations Congress & Equipment Expo (IFCEE)
Portable training programs about piling equipment, testing and more
Communications
PileDriver is published six times annually and features PDCA member companies and project stories; industry articles related to technical, legal and safety issues; and other relevant topics dedicated to the pile driving industry.
www.piledrivers.org is PDCA's official website, containing a broad base of information about PDCA, its members, industry resources and other industry news.
The PDCA e-Letter is emailed monthly to PDCA's subscriber list to provide up-to-date information on PDCA's activities, events, seminars, workshops and member news.
The PDCA Membership Directory is an annual directory that includes contact information for all categories of PDCA members in good standing for the year.
The PDCA Wall Calendar is published annually in October and distributed with Issue 5 of PileDriver. The calendar includes important PDCA dates to keep on your schedule for the following year.
Submission Guidelines for PDCA's PileDriver Magazine
October 30, 2018
Have you ever considered writing an article for PileDriver magazine? It's easier to do than you may think. Read the below instructions for writing and submitting an article to PileDriver. Sound like too much work? Contact PDCA to have a professional writer do the work on your behalf; there's no cost for PDCA members.
Writing an article
To ensure we make the best use of your time, we have provided the following submission guidelines to assist you in this process. Should you have any questions while writing your submission or about these guidelines, please do not hesitate to contact Steve Hall, executive director, at 904-215-4771 or steve@piledrivers.org.
Content guidelines
Articles should:
Be written in the third person (i.e. "The company has..." instead of "My company has...")
Include quotes from appropriate sources where applicable and/or possible
Include a minimum of three to five high-resolution photos with appropriate photo captions and credits that have permission to be printed in the magazine. Please note that providing photos with your article constitutes that you are the copyright holder for the images and your permission for publishing.
Include a byline, comprised of the writer's name, position and company
Be submitted in MS Word format (not in PDF format)
Article types and overviews
Member Profile (Contractor, Associate, Engineering Affiliate)
700 to 1,200 words
These articles are designed to highlight your company. The article should contain such information as:
Years in business
Work performed (specific to the pile driving industry)
Corporate structure (leadership/owner(s))
Location(s)
Geographical distribution of work
Facilities
Equipment
Personnel
Special aspects of the company and staff
Industry or civic awards
Special projects
Involvement in PDCA; how the company benefits from being a member
The article may also include the company's story including how and when the company was founded, how the business grew as well as who and what has contributed to the company's success.
Project Spotlight
700 to 1,800 words
These articles discuss the driven pile aspects of a construction project. The emphasis should be on the foundation and pile driving, such as the type of pile(s), hammer used, crane used, lead type (swinging, fixed), test pile program and production pile numbers (amount of piles driven for the actual foundation). Additional relevant information such as any value engineering, static or dynamic testing and challenges and problem-solving brought on by design, environment, geology/soil, noise or vibration abatement, etc. is also encouraged. Please mention, where possible, the names of other PDCA member companies that contributed to the project (equipment and material suppliers, for example).
Feature Article
700 to 1,200 words
These are special industry articles that may not necessarily fit into the prescribed sections typically found within the content of PileDriver. They can cover any number of broad issues, including critical news or events that impact the driven pile industry, business advice or updates or general industry articles.
Technical Article
700 to 1,200 words
Any article of a technical nature, such as new techniques, equipment, testing, design, materials, etc. Please note that due to the advanced nature of technical articles, professional writing assistance may not be possible; however, editing services are always available to polish up your piece.
Industry Trailblazer
600 to 1,000 words
Trailblazer articles are meant to highlight a significant contributor to the driven pile industry and PDCA in general. These articles should include how the person got started in the industry, their education, companies for which they've worked, what the industry means to them, what changes they have witnessed in the industry throughout their career, their level of involvement with PDCA over the years and/or how PDCA has impacted their career. The individual must work for a PDCA member company in good standing. Note: if self-written, Trailblazer articles are accepted in first-person format, and a minimum of one photo is required.
Young Gun
600 to 1,000 words
Young Guns are individuals who are beginning their careers (less than seven years) in the pile driving industry and are making an impact at their company and/or with PDCA. These articles should include how they decided to enter the industry, their education, their role at their company and their future goals for themselves and/or their company. The individual must work for a PDCA member company in good standing. Note: if self-written, Young Gun articles are accepted in first-person format, and a minimum of one photo is required.
Photo guidelines
In most cases, photos are required to accompany an article. Please include a separate Word document or email that includes photo captions for each supplied photo as well as the appropriate photo credit for all photos. Submitting a photo means you are responsible for the permissions of reprinting that photo; PDCA and Lester Publications, LLC will not be held liable for any photos submitted without permission to print.
Images should be high-resolution (300 DPI), .tiff or .jpeg format; not compressed, at 100 percent size. As a general rule of thumb, the minimum file size should be 1 MB.
You can email photos to steve@piledrivers.org or jharris@lesterpublications.com.
You can use a file transfer service such as Hightail or DropBox to email many photos or large file sizes.
Alternate method if there are several photos or large files:
Go to lesterpublications.com and click on Contact Us, then click the link under File Upload. Fill out the simple form and proceed to Step 2 where you can easily upload your files to the server. In Step 2, click on Browse to locate the file on your computer, then press Select. You will see a progress bar showing your upload. Once the upload is complete, you can close the browser window and the design team at Lester will automatically be notified of the files.
Copyright notice
Please note that by submitting an article to PileDriver magazine, unless otherwise arranged with PDCA and Lester Publications, LLC, you are agreeing to allow PDCA and Lester Publications, LLC six months of exclusivity in print and online formats, beginning with the date of publishing, as well as the right to store the article online indefinitely once that period is over. This means that once your article appears in PileDriver magazine, you may not send the same article to other publications until a minimum of six months have passed, unless otherwise arranged with PDCA and Lester Publications, LLC. This is to ensure the editorial integrity and exclusivity of PileDriver magazine.
If you have any questions about submitting an article to PileDriver magazine, or if you would like to request the assistance of a professional writer, contact Steve Hall at steve@piledrivers.org or 904-215-4771.
Your Local PDCA Chapters
October 30, 2018PDCA of the Pacific Coast ChapterDermot Fallon, Foundation ConstructorsOakley, CAPhone: 925-754-6633dfallon@foundationpile.com PDCA of the Northeast ChapterErich Kremer, R. Kremer & Son Marine Contractors, LLCBrick, NJPhone: 732-477-8012kremermarine@comcast.net PDCA of the Pacific Northwest ChapterBill Marczewski, BSM EngineeringAstoria, ORPhone: 503-791-5070bill@bsmengineering.com PDCA of South Carolina ChapterJohn King, Pile Drivers, Inc.Hollywood, SC Phone: 843-763-7736 kingpiledrive@aol.com PDCA of the Gulf Coast ChapterMichael Kelly, Gulf South Piling and ConstructionJefferson, LAPhone: 504-834-7791gspmichael@bellsouth.ne PDCA of the Mid-Atlantic ChapterMarty CorcoranPhone: 443-463-2404patmar2021@gmail.com PDCA of Florida ChapterChair open Contact the PDCA office for more information PDCA of Texas ChapterChair open Contact the PDCA office for more information Members are encouraged to contact PDCA if, for whatever reason, you are unable to contact any of the above chapter representatives or want to enquire about more than one chapter. PDCA Orange Park, FLPhone: 904-215-4771news@piledrivers.org
Out of the Ordinary
October 30, 2018
In the parched Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, there's precious little that is made of wood. When the designers of a new park in the Saudi port city of Al Jubail needed help with wooden pilings for walking piers, they found their answer with a unique product made in the U.S.A.
Manufactured by American Pole and Timber, gun barrel pilings are specialty milled poles that, unlike other round wooden pilings, have a uniform diameter from tip to butt. This past summer, 187 of them, each measuring 12 inches in diameter and ranging from 24 to 40 feet in length, were sent by container ship to Saudi Arabia, where they'll be driven to support three 150-foot long wooden bridges being constructed to provide access to an island within the park in Al Jubail.
Eric Lincoln, senior vice-president of sales for American Pole and Timber, maintains the project is the first of its kind in the Middle Eastern country. The designers, he says, were seeking a highly distinctive look and they determined that wood was the way to go.
"They wanted to use something that looks really nice," said Lincoln, adding that an obvious barrier was the scarcity of lumber in Saudi Arabia.
"They don't really do any wood construction at all over there. Everything is always done with concrete because there are no trees," he said. "They are not traditional users of wood, so this is going to be a very new thing for them."
Lincoln says the project contractors sent a small group of engineers and Saudi government officials to American Pole and Timber's headquarters and manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas, for three days in May so they could see first-hand how gun barrel poles were made and learn the basics of wood construction.
According to Lincoln, the crash course included looking at the characteristics of wood, how various treatments affect its longevity and what kinds of treatments are available for different types of applications.
For the Saudi Arabian project, the timber pilings were made from southern yellow pine (gun barrel poles are also available in white pine, western red cedar, white cedar and oak). Because they were being installed in salt water, the pilings were treated with a 2.5 pcf CCA wood preservative and they were also treated with a special polymer coating to provide additional protection.
Gun barrel pilings are purported to be excellent choices in applications in or near water. American Pole and Timber maintains that because they have no exposed heartwood as many square timbers have, the poles are less susceptible to attack by termites and marine borers, and their round shape also enables them to withstand storm surges better than square timber pilings.
Importance of aesthetics
According to Lincoln, the gun barrel poles are often used in applications where aesthetics are a primary consideration, which is why a growing number of zoos, theme parks and vacation resorts are now using them in the U.S. and other locations around the world, such as Hong Kong, Jamaica and Belize.
Lincoln says the pilings are not only visually impressive, but they also provide strong support and are usually easier to install than regular, tapered wooden poles.
"A traditional wooden pole is a tree that's just been peeled so it has all the normal things that you would find in a tree, but a gun barrel pole is a perfect shaft," he said. "It's perfectly straight, and it's dimensionally sound the entire way."
Lincoln notes that gun barrel poles are most frequently used in place of square timber piles and he maintains there's not much difference in price between the two options.
Lincoln describes gun barrel poles as a signature product for American Pole and Timber and he says he's not aware of any other businesses producing the specialty milled, uniform diameter poles in the same sizes that his company can provide.
"It's one of those things that people know us for. They know that we can do them and that we can do big ones," said Lincoln.
"We've manufactured some specialty equipment and machinery to be able to make them as big as we make them," he said, pointing out that gun barrel poles can be made from five to up to 20 inches in diameter and up to 52 feet in length.
"We can even make them 60 feet long if we can find the tree," Lincoln said.
American Pole and Timber was founded 27 years ago by William Plant and Dorian Benn, who is now the sole owner following Plant's death earlier this year. The company offers extended life building materials, distinctive manufacturing services and building materials solutions for a wide range of marine, industrial and commercial builders and manufacturers.
According to Lincoln, approximately 50 percent of the company's customers are in Texas, with the rest of the U.S. adding about 30 percent of their market and international clients accounting for the rest. t
Photos courtesy of American Pole and Timber
PDCA Project of the Year Awards
October 30, 2018
Land: Less than $500,000
Peter Courtney Minto Island Bridge, Legacy Contracting, Inc.
The new Peter Courtney Minto Island Bridge is a steel arch bridge spanning the Willamette Slough, connecting the downtown Riverfront Park to the park on Minto-Brown Island. The new bridge provides access to over 1,300 acres of parks on both sides of the Willamette River for the community while also linking more than 30 miles of off-street trails.
The main span of the bridge is a 304.5-foot tied-arch span with four total approach spans, three at 50 feet and one at 35 feet. Combined, the bridge is a five-span bridge totalling 489.5 feet long. The deck consists of cast-in-place components as well as precast panels for the main span. The supports are made up of cast-in-place tapered columns that used a form liner for aesthetics.
The Minto Island Bridge is a one-of-a-kind structure, from the foundation up. Although there are only 12 permanent piles in the finished product, many more were required in order to build this beautiful bridge. Driving the work bridge, support tower and falsework piling in a very sensitive area and completing the work within the in-water work window was challenging. Legacy Contracting was able to use a vibratory hammer and impact hammer to drive the pile through the difficult subsurface conditions.
Read about the Peter Courtney Minto Island Bridge by Legacy Contracting, Inc. on page 48.
Land: $500,000 to $2 Million
Silver Sands State Park Phase 1B Improvements, Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman, Inc.
Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman, Inc. (BAC) was contracted by the Connecticut State DOT to provide the foundation work for Silver Sands State Park phase 1B improvements. The improvements consisted of the installation of raised, pile supported, bathhouses and concession area, several handicap accessible ramps to and from parking areas, boardwalks along the beach and a walkway across wetlands connecting to an existing boardwalk.
One challenge in the project was how to install an eight-foot wide timber pile supported walkway through 290 feet of wetlands to meet and attach to another existing walkway. The walkway consisted of two pile bents every 14 feet with a split cap and cross bracing. The specifications precluded any equipment from entering or bearing upon the wetlands.
Because the walkway connected to an existing walkway, BAC worked their way out two bents at a time. Once all the piles, caps and braces were in, they backed our way out, removing the temporary piles and cutting the extended split caps back to the eight-foot permanent walkway width.
Read about Silver Sands State Park Phase 1B Improvements by Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman, Inc. on page 52.
Land: $2 Million to $5 Million
Naval Academy Cyber Securities Studies Building, Corman Kokosing Construction
The overall scope of this project is to deliver the latest addition to the campus of the United States Naval Academy. This $114 million Center was a design-build of a 206,400 square-foot academic building, dedicated to the education of midshipmen in all areas of cyber warfare, and will include classrooms and lecture halls, teaching and research laboratories, a research and testing tank to support the engineering and weapons laboratories, an observatory, offices and multi-purpose collaborative space for students and faculty. Situated between Nimitz Library and Rickover Hall, the Center will be surrounded by elevated hardscape terraces continuous with those of the adjacent buildings.
Corman Kokosing Pile's experience and Atlantic Metrocast's SlickCoat piles process was the perfect combination to provide the pile foundation to build the premier educational and research facilities for the government's unique project. The design began immediately and construction on the Center for Cyber Security Studies began in late 2016 with an anticipated completion in the third quarter of 2019.
The presence of bulkheads, seawall, piles, slope instability and miscellaneous buildings previously constructed at the site impacted the construction of the foundations. Available historical design documents from past construction projects did not accurately show actual conditions. Corman Kokosing Construction prepared for many types of buried obstructions to be excavated and removed to make way for new construction work.
Read about the Naval Academy Cyber Security Building by Corman Kokosing Construction on page 56.
Marine: Less than $500,000
Terminal 3 Headline Dolphin, Legacy Contracting, Inc.
The new Terminal 3 Headline Dolphin is a concrete structure supported by steel piling with a mechanical capstan for vessels to use for their headline mooring line. A new 200-foot-long, two-span gangway was installed on the new dolphin to the existing terminal with one intermediate concrete cap supported by steel piling. Logging vessels that load on Terminal 3 can now utilize the new headline dolphin to keep the forward part of their vessel against the dock during loading operations. With the location of the dolphin being more than 200 feet from the existing terminal, Legacy Contracting was required to preform the work on a modular float barge.
Eight 24- by 0.625- by 123-foot piles painted with a marine grade coating system supports the concrete dolphin. These piles were driven full length at a 3:1 batter slope out from the center of the dolphin. With the steep batter, Legacy Contracting fabricated a driving template that was supported by one center pile and used to achieve correct spacing and batter to meet the tight tolerance required. The template also had to be designed so it could be easily disassembled to remove it after all the piles were driven. The piles were PDA tested to ensure they met specified bearing capacities of 600 kips in compression and 440 kips in tension.
Legacy Contracting, Inc. was able to overcome challenges and deliver the owner a great end product.
Read about the Terminal 3 Headline Dolphine by Legacy Contracting, Inc. on page 60.
Marine: $500,000 to $2 Million
Topsail Island Bridge Replacement, Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty US is the general contractor responsible for the delivery of the Topsail Island Bridge Replacement project on NC 50/210, which is on schedule for completion 300 days ahead of contractual requirements. The high-profile bridge project involves the complete replacement of the existing steel truss swing-span bridge with a two-lane, fixed-span, high-rise bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and associated approaches at beach end.
Because the shallow depths of the wetlands and adjacent waters of the ICW prohibit the use of barges for material deliveries to the project area, the team had to put the trestle in place in its entirety to access the 3,700-foot bridge deck. By using driven piles, Balfour Beatty was able to complete the 4,000-foot-long trestle within the in-water work window of October 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017, to begin construction on the bridge structure. If the team did not complete the trestle prior to the start of the fish moratorium on April 1, 2017, the delivery of the entire bridge could have been delayed by a year.
Balfour Beatty made creative adjustments to the schedule to drive the piles and complete the trestle while meeting in-water work limitations. To start, the team worked double shifts seven days each week to drive approximately six 30-inch steel pipe piles per shift and installed the trestle structure to gain access to the next pile locations. With limited storage on-site, the team scheduled pile deliveries for on-time delivery staggering the deliveries of piles sourced from existing projects in Wilmington, N.C., Savannah, Ga. and Milledgeville, Ga. to exactly the right the amount of pile needed each day.
Originally contracted for completion by 2020, Balfour Beatty is on schedule to open the Topsail Island Bridge to traffic in 2018 300 days ahead of the contractual schedule. This extraordinary feat would not be possible without the use of driven piles.
Read about the Topsail Island Bridge Replacement by Balfour Beatty on page 64.
Land: Less than $500,000 Peter Courtney Minto Island Bridge
October 30, 2018
The new Peter Courtney Minto Island Bridge is a steel arch bridge spanning the Willamette Slough, connecting the downtown Riverfront Park to the park on Minto-Brown Island. The new bridge provides access to over 1,300 acres of parks on both sides of the Willamette River for the community while, also linking more than 30 miles of off-street trails.
The main span of the bridge is a 304.5-foot tied-arch span with four total approach spans, three at 50 feet and one at 35 feet. Combined, the bridge is a five-span bridge, totaling 489.5 feet long. The deck consists of cast-in-place components as well as precast panels for the main span. The supports are made of cast-in-place tapered columns that used a form liner for aesthetics.
The foundation for the bridge consists of a combination of driven pile and drilled shafts. There are 12 driven piles for the end bent; eight for the Observation Platform and four for the East Approach. The Observation Platform piles were PP 12.75 x 0.500 x 35-feet in length, closed ended, and the East Approach piles were PP 12.75 x 0.375 x 40-feet in length, open ended. The Observation Platform piles were driven to 350 kips and the East Approach pile were driven to 134 kips. There are six drilled shafts for Bents 1-6.
Legacy Contracting, Inc. was required to install a temporary work bridge as well as temporary support towers that supported the arches in place prior to installing the precast concrete panels. The temporary work bridge consisted of 46 driven piles and the temporary support towers consisted of 12 driven piles, all of which had to be removed once the construction of the bridge was complete. The work bridge piles were PP 22 x 0.375 x 60 feet in length, open ended, and the support tower pile were PP 18 x 0.500 x 100 feet in length, open ended. The work bridge piles were driven to 518K kips and the support towers piles were driven to 395K kips.
For the cast-in-place deck portions of the bridge, Legacy Contracting also drove piling for the falsework. Sixty 12-foot wood piles, two 22 x 0.375-foot and six 18 x 0.500-foot piles were driven for the falsework. Legacy Contracting had to pull all the steel piling as well as the wood piling they could reach after concrete was poured.
All of this work was completed in an environmentally sensitive area and done during stringent in-water work timeframes. The existing material that the piles were driven into had a rock shelf that required Legacy Contracting to drive the piling in a matter that didn't cause the piling to cave in on itself.
Challenges
The Minto Island Bridge is a one-of-a-kind structure from the foundation up. Although there are only 12 permanent piles in the finished product, many more were required in order to build this beautiful bridge. Driving the work bridge, support tower and falsework piling in a very sensitive area and completing the work within the in-water work window was challenging. Legacy Contracting was able to use a vibratory hammer and impact hammer to drive the pile through the difficult subsurface conditions.
Land: $500,000 to $2 Million Silver Sands State Park Phase 1B Improvements
October 30, 2018
Silver Sands State Park is located on the Long Island Sound in Milford, Conn. During low tide, visitors can walk across to Charles Island, famous for being the site where Captain Kidd supposedly buried his treasure after he visited the island in 1699, before traveling to Boston where he was captured and later hanged. The island connects to shore via a tombolo (sand bar) at low tide.
The park is an area of approximately 300 acres of beach, sand dunes, marsh, woods and the 14-acre bird sanctuary of Charles Island. The State of Connecticut acquired Silver Sands after hurricane Diane came through in 1955, destroying 75 homes in the area. Today, the park is used for picnicking, saltwater activities, field sports, nature programs and more.
Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman, Inc. (BAC) was contracted by the Connecticut State DOT to provide the foundation work for the park's phase 1B improvements. The improvements consisted of the installation of raised, pile supported bathhouse and concession area, several handicap accessible ramps to and from parking areas, boardwalks along the beach and a walkway across wetlands connecting to an existing boardwalk.
Challenges
Wildlife
The project included many obstacles. The first of which was the sensitivity to the indigenous species and the need to minimize any impact on them. In late March, Connecticut beaches become the nesting ground for piping plovers, a small, sand-colored shorebird. Piping plovers are on both federal and state lists of threatened species. These migratory birds don't make nests, but rather use small depressions in the sand as their place to roost and incubate their eggs.
In order to minimize any disturbance to the birds, it was determined all pile driving activities within 160 feet of their breeding ground (the beach) needed to be complete before their migration into the area. Approximately half of the 250 piles on the project fell within the buffer zone. Due to delays to the start of the project, BAC was left with just over a week to complete this first phase.
A walkway over the wetlands
A second challenge in the project was how to install an eight-foot wide timber pile supported walkway through 290 feet of wetlands to meet and attach to another existing walkway. The walkway consisted of two pile bents every 14 feet with a split cap and cross bracing. The specifications precluded any equipment from entering or bearing upon the wetlands.
The solution was to have the pile driver drive the piles from on top of the walkway. The eight-foot walkway was neither wide enough nor sufficient to support the pile driver. To make a safe platform, the following changes were made:
Added temporary piles outside the permanent piles.
Increased the size of the split cap and extended the split cap out to the added temporary piles.
Increased the size and quantity of the hardware connecting the split cap to piles.
Added longitudinal cross braces to the specified transverse cross braces.
Installed steel beams across pile bents.
Laid crane mats on top of the steel beams.
Installed safety railings for protection of all personnel working the temporary platform.
Since the walkway connected to an existing walkway, the team worked their way out two bents at a time. Once all the piles, caps and braces were in, they backed their way out, removing the temporary piles and cutting the extended split caps back to the eight-foot permanent walkway width.
This was an efficient method and BAC was able to complete the project on time and under budget, despite the numerous challenges encountered.
Land: $2 Million to $5 Million Naval Academy Cyber Security Studies Building
October 30, 2018
Corman Kokosing was awarded the Naval Academy Cyber Security Studies Building Concrete Piles contract in Annapolis, Md. The proposed building was constructed on a site that had undergone significant changes. Various bulkheads, building foundations and sea walls were constructed on the site over the years as the site had been expanded. Also, various miscellaneous buildings had been built and demolished at the site. Piles remained buried within the footprint of the proposed building. The land at the site was reclaimed from Dorsey Creek and has since required stabilization.
The overall scope of this project is to deliver the latest addition to the campus of the United States Naval Academy. This $114 million Center was a design-build of a 206,400 sq. ft. academic building dedicated to the education of midshipmen in all areas of cyber warfare and will include classrooms and lecture halls, teaching and research laboratories, a research and testing tank to support the engineering and weapons laboratories, an observatory, offices and multi-purpose collaborative space for students and faculty. Situated between Nimitz Library and Rickover Hall, the Center will be surrounded by elevated hardscape terraces continuous with those of the adjacent buildings.
Corman Kokosing Pile's experience and Atlantic Metrocast's SlickCoat piles process was the perfect combination to provide the pile foundation to build the premier educational and research facilities for the government's unique project. The design began immediately and construction on the Center for Cyber Security Studies began in late 2016 with an anticipated completion in the third quarter of 2019.
Techniques and equipment
Since the piles needed to be 140 feet long, a mechanical splice (Emeca Splice) was used on all piles. A 200 TN Manitowoc would offload the piles from a barge and feed the 70-foot pile piece into the leads of the pile driving 165 TN Terex, which put the crane booms within a few feet of each other twice for every pile.
Unique application of piles
Augering and probing was required for the 369 pile locations to locate potential obstructions, and concrete piles were driven (14-in. x 140 LF) with a slick coat application.
Design of the proposed building and foundation was coordinated to allow for continued access to the Nimitz Library foundation system. The contractor evaluated slope stability. Slope stability analysis was performed as part of the geotechnical investigation by the Geotechnical Engineer of record, in accordance with UFC 3-220-01 Geotechnical Engineering and EM 1110-2-1902 Slope Stability. Methods of slope stabilization included land-side solutions only. Loading the site was limited prior to and during construction in order to avoid adversely impacting slope stability. The evaluation and subsequent remediation of the site ensured slope stability prior to construction, during all phases of construction and for the long term following construction.
The pile fabricator's design team indicated that the concurrent tension/bending moment were well outside of what would be considered acceptable for a standard 14-inch concrete pile. It was necessary to maintain 14-inch concrete piles throughout the site so a superior concrete pile was engineered that would be able to withstand the stresses during driving. The information used was based on the provided:
Axial Compression 180 Tons (522 kips)
Axial Tension 40 Tons (128 kips)
Bending Moment 120 ft-kips
Construction problems and creative solutions
The site location was in proximity to the U.S. Naval Academy's Nimitz Library and Rickover Hall. Limited space in and around the project site required the piling delivery be supported by the marine group's tugs and barges, which required installing spud wells to protect the Naval Academy waterfront promenade.
The presence of bulkheads, seawall, piles, slope instability and miscellaneous buildings previously constructed at the site impacted the construction of the foundations. Available historical design documents from past construction projects did not accurately show actual conditions. The team prepared for many types of buried obstructions to be excavated and removed to make way for new construction work.
Alternatively, it was permissible to locate deep foundations to clear existing obstructions and construct bridging over the obstructions. This alternative complicated the foundation construction, but permitted some obstructions to be left in place.
Also, the piles had to be driven in a specific order so cranes could crawl out without interference.
Cost saving measures
Due to the extreme length of pile required, value engineering was used to incorporate the Emeca splice, which encouraged the use of concrete piles as a cost saving measure to the owner.
Innovative project management
The piles were coated offsite to reduce down drag with Slickcoat, which allowed for a faster coating due to the limited space onsite. The piles were all loaded onto barges already coated and ready for use. Corman Kokosing chose to use a hydraulic hammer rather than a diesel hammer due to the close proximity of subcontractors. A special tray that the power pack could sit on attached to the crane and took the place of counter weights was fabricated. This kept the hydraulic hoses close to the rig and away from potential hazards.
Design changes
Corman Kokosing deep foundations included provisions for locating equipment in areas that remained underwater. Buildings adjacent to the proposed site conduct research using equipment sensitive to vibrations. Vibration monitoring and coordination of work restrictions was paramount during foundation construction activities.
Management or mitigation of environmental considerations
The upper strata soils at the site (approximately 100 feet thick) were fairly weak and prone to settlement. A deep foundation system extending in excess of approximately 120 to 150 feet was required to support the building structure. The soil at the site was not suitable to support a slab-on-grade.
Noise and ground vibrations caused by construction equipment was monitored. All work met required compliance with Anne Arundel County noise ordinance and ground vibrations did not exceed the project's established threshold value.
Corman Kokosing Construction is proud to have been a part of this project.
Marine: Less Than $500,000 Terminal 3 Headline Dolphin
October 30, 2018
The new Terminal 3 Headline Dolphin is a concrete structure supported by steel piling with a mechanical capstan for vessels to use for their headline mooring line. A new 200-foot-long, two-span gangway was installed on the new dolphin to the existing terminal with one intermediate concrete cap supported by steel piling. Logging vessels that load on Terminal 3 can now utilize the new headline dolphin to keep the forward part of their vessel against the dock during loading operations. With the location of the dolphin being more than 200 feet from the existing terminal, Legacy Contracting was required to preform the work on a modular float barge.
Eight 24 x 0.625 x 123-foot piles painted with a marine grade coating system supports the concrete dolphin. These piles were driven full length at a 3:1 batter slope out from the center of the dolphin. With the steep batter, Legacy Contracting fabricated a driving template that was supported by one center pile and used to achieve correct spacing and batter to meet the tight tolerance required. The template also had to be designed so it could be easily disassembled to remove it after all the piles were driven. The piles were PDA tested to ensure they met specified bearing capacities of 600 kips in compression and 440 kips in tension.
Two 24 x 0.625 x 104-foot piles painted with a marine grade coating system supports the concrete intermediate cap, which in turn supports the gangway mid-span. These piles were driven at a 4:1 batter sloped out from the center of the cap. Legacy Contracting fabricated a different template to meet the tight tolerance required.
Challenges
This project had strict marine mammal monitoring and the permit only allowed a certain number of blows per day from impact driving, which proved challenging during the course of the project. Having to construct a template to drive within allowable tolerances while also making sure not to damage the coating was an added difficulty. Legacy Contracting also drove the pile full length without splicing them, to minimize construction time and environmental impacts. Legacy Contracting, Inc. was able to overcome these challenges and deliver the owner a great end product.
