WATCH: Member's Video Analyzes Geotechnics in Pre-Design of Bridge Build

August 13, 2025

If you are among the nearly 60K subscribers to the YouTube Channel, Casey Jones - Professional Engineer, you may have already watched the July video it released called "Update - Francis Scott Key Bridge Replacement." This video caught the attention of PDCA President Buck Darling, who indicated it offers an important perspective on the highly technical matter of pre-design geotechnical work informing the design phase and the construction/testing phase, which leads to the most cost effective solutions for project owners. According to the President, this is must see TV!

For your convenience, we share a link to this thoughtful production on the Francis Scott Key Bridge Replacement that features best practices in the bridge design-build process as it SHOULD be undertaken whenever practical. Click the button below:

Update - FSK Bridge Replacement video

About the video's creator Casey Jones, he is the technical director at Foundation Testing and Consulting, LLC, a Kansas City-based firm he founded nearly two decades ago. He is a veteran geotechnical engineer, licensed in many Midwestern states, and has been in practice since 1987. PDCA recently welcomed Jones back as a new member of the organization.

You are encouraged to visit the Casey Jones - Professional Engineer YouTube Channel for more technical content related to various aspects of geotechnical engineering and deep foundation construction. He has archived more than 200 videos on his channel; they carry titles such as Efficient Pile Design, Settlement and Damage to the Existing Blackhawk Bridge, Vibration Monitoring Overview and Washington Bridge Update, and many, many more. You can even find unique topics such as The Geotechnical Engineering to Support the D-Day Invasion in this expansive repository of technical resources.

PDCA welcomes Casey as a new Engineering Affiliate member. While he expects to become involved in the organization through participation in the 2025 DICEP Conference and other programs, why not virtually acquaint yourself with him through a visit to his video library, available when you click the following button.

YOUTUBE: Casey Jones-Professional Engineer

Who won? Read stories about 2025's winning Project of the Year entries!

August 11, 2025

PileDriver Issue 4 2025 cover featuring Projects of the Year

Issue 4 of PileDriver is Online

In this special edition of #PileDriverMagazine, find out which PDCA members are taking home a coveted Project of the Year Award. Lauded by multiple judges as the most competitive year in the history of the program, the winning projects showcase ingenuity, construction and engineering excellence and the dedication of PDCA members.

This dedicated email is sponsored by:

Steel Foundation Solutions from Nucor Skyline

Precision on the Waterfront

What do you do when you need to excavate a man-made pond without disturbing the seawall of a luxury island development? For ASAP Group, the answer was a carefully executed driven pile solution in one of Miami's most exclusive neighbourhoods. Learn how their innovative approach earned them a 2025 PDCA Project of the Year Award in the Land: Less than $1M category.

Read the full story

Engineering Excellence on the California Coast

Ralph L Wadsworth project along the California coastline

Replacing a 541-foot rail bridge in a protected coastal zone is no small feat, especially when construction must respect fragile ecosystems, archaeological sites AND an active railway overhead. Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction Company rose to the challenge, using an innovative driven pile strategy that minimized disruption and maximized precision. Their outstanding work earned a PDCA Project of the Year Award in the Land: $1M to $5M category.

Read the full story.

Redefining What's Possible in Pile Driving

LNG Canada project in Kitimat BC - Canada

Constructing a 1.1-mile (1.8-kilometer) trestle through a protected estuary teeming with salmon, eagles and grizzlies? Pacific Pile & Marine made it happen without ground access, during a pandemic and on Canada's largest infrastructure project. Their use of a one-of-a-kind cantilever bridge machine, along with world-class engineering and coordination, helped deliver this record-setting project safely and successfully. It's no wonder this earned a 2025 PDCA Project of the Year Award in the Land: Over $5M category.

Read the full story.

Built to Last: A Smarter Approach to Bulkhead Replacement

Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman Inc marine project

When faced with a corroded, century-old bulkhead at a historic power facility, Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman Inc. delivered more than a fix: they delivered a smarter, safer and more sustainable solution. With custom-engineered pile driving techniques, 76-foot sheet piles and zero environmental impact, this project earned a 2025 PDCA Project of the Year Award in the Marine: Less than $5M category plus $750,000 in cost savings.

Read the full story.

548 Piles. Zero Visibility. One Remarkable Rebuild.

The McCarthy Building Companies project at the Port of Beaumont Main Street Terminal 1

Rebuilding a collapsed century-old dock in zero-visibility waters? That's exactly what McCarthy Building Companies achieved five months ahead of schedule at the Port of Beaumont's Main Street Terminal 1. With GPS-enabled demolition, custom-engineered pile systems and 548 concrete piles driven with precision, the team delivered a state-of-the-art terminal that expands capacity at one of America's top military ports. It's no wonder this project earned PDCA's 2025 Project of the Year Award in the Marine: Over $5M category.

Read the full story.

Smarter Solutions for a Safer Site

Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman Inc replaced a planned slurry wall with a driven sheet pile barrier

At a Superfund site in upstate New York, Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman Inc. (BAC) turned a complex environmental challenge into an award-winning success. By replacing a planned slurry wall with a driven sheet pile barrier, BAC delivered a more efficient, cost-effective solution that enhanced containment and protected groundwater. Their strategic three-tier contingency plan, advanced equipment and precision execution earned them a 2025 PDCA Project of the Year Award in the Earth Retention: Less than $5M category.

Read the full story.

Driven Innovation, Arctic Conditions

PND Engineers project at the edge of the Arctic Circle

At the edge of the Arctic Circle, PND Engineers, Inc. delivered a dock like no other. Their proprietary OPEN CELL SHEET PILE™ system enabled construction of the Oliktok STP Dock in sub-zero conditions on sea ice, with no summer access and no room for error. Over 2,900 sheet piles were installed entirely in winter to serve the remote Pikka oil field. For this feat of engineering ingenuity and environmental coordination, PND earned PDCA's 2025 Project of the Year Award in the Associate/Engineering Affiliate category.

Read the full story.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Interview: Skip Gardella

What better way to celebrate 30 years of PDCA in 2025 than to feature PDCA's first-ever president in an in-depth interview about his career and the beginnings of the association? Read all about Skip Gardella in this issue's Interview column.

Find the article here.

PDCA's Driven Pile Academy

It's back PDCA's revolutionary Driven Pile Academy.

Learn more about the program and register soon, as this hands-on training program will sell out. Join us from Nov. 1114, 2025, in Port Bienville, Miss.

Learn more.

Are you interested in being interviewed or writing an article for PileDriver magazine? Editorial coverage is one of the FREE benefits of PDCA membership! The PDCA Communications Committee is always looking for companies, pile driving projects and industry stories to write about. To learn more or to ask about how you can join a PDCA Communications Committee call email matt@piledrivers.org.

Posted in PileDriver Magazine.

PDCA Aids Families of Fallen Workers Through Baltimore Fundraiser

August 6, 2025

(L-R): Shana Carroll, Kristi Ronyak

At its July 2025 meeting, the PDCA Board of Directors unanimously voted to sponsor Construction Angels Bingo, a fundraiser coming to Baltimore on October 16th, to support the national non-profit organization that provides immediate, monetary assistance to families of fallen construction workers. PDCA has several members in and around Baltimore, some of whom are active with Construction Angels. Also, PDCA has members which are currently working on rebuilding the Key Bridge, a high profile driven pile project in the region. Notably, the rebuild was necessitated by a 2024 tragedy. Board members quickly determined that Construction Angels' mission is worthy of support from the driven pile industry.

In the wake of the fatal, 2024 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, local geotechnical engineer and PDCA member Shana Carroll wanted to help those who lost loved ones in the tragic event. Three of the six people who were victims of the accidental bridge demolition were construction workers and were on the span when its foundation was hit by a vessel. Soon after the dust settled, Carroll, the president of D.W. Kozera, Inc., gathered with members of a local networking organization where she is active. She and other members at CREWBaltimore began discussing how they can be helpful to the victimized families. They soon learned about the existence of a national non-profit organization called Construction Angels, which exclusively develops fundraising events throughout the country designed to generate immediate aid for surviving spouses and children of fallen workers.

"The Key Bridge [collapse] was like another 9/11 for me, except worse," said Carroll. "We [Kozera] had workers at nearby Tradepoint Atlantic and they literally watched the bridge fall...so in a way it was more disturbing than 9/11."

24 funder for CA in Baltimore — **2024 fundraiser for families of Key Bridge collapse victims**

Carroll continued; "After we connected with Construction Angels, we at CREWBaltimore jumped in to help raise money for the worker's families. We learned that they are able to get money into their [victims' families] hands immediately after construction related accidents. This helps them with the sudden loss of income while insurances work out the rest - that takes time."

The result of the partnership that Shana, her fellow members of CREWBaltimore, and Construction Angels quickly formed, was a successful fundraising event which enabled people in the local business and construction communities to provide support to those who's lives turned upside down upon losing a family member in the Key Bridge tragedy.

After the 2024 fundraiser, Carroll became a believer in the mission and work of Construction Angels. Recently, she became the organization's volunteer State Representative in Maryland.

She explained; "Construction Angels is important to me because I've seen firsthand how their mission supports families in times of tragedy, especially after the Key Bridge collapse, when I was looking for a way to help the families affected and found this amazing organization that truly cares."

Since Shana Carroll knows that Baltimore has a high concentration of pile drivers and she has been a longtime partner to PDCA on initiatives in the region, she approached the PDCA Board to ask if it would consider sponsoring Construction Angels Bingo. Some Board members were familiar with Construction Angels, others had just learned about it. But not a single Board member voted against helping what it determined to be a noble cause.

Notably, several other Baltimore region pile driving companies are committed participants in this local fundraising effort for Construction Angels; Richard E. Pierson Construction Co. recently signed on as an event sponsor.

Kristi Ronyak is the CEO & Founder/National Executive Director of Construction Angels, and has since expressed her gratitude to PDCA for its support. She explained more about her organization's mission:

"Construction Angels is more than a charity--it's a lifeline, a national nonprofit helping construction families in 33 states over 14 years, providing immediate financial assistance and grief counseling to families who have lost a loved one in an accidental construction-related incident," said Ronyak. "Across the country, companies, crews, and supporters are rallying communities around the families who need us most. Every dollar raised helps us say "yes" when a grieving spouse calls. Every dollar, every sponsor, every guest at a Construction Angels fundraiser brings us one step closer to ensuring no construction family ever faces loss alone."

As word about the PDCA contribution to Construction Angels circulated through through the organization's membership, Florida Chapter Vice President Dean Cacio from R.W. Harris, Inc. - A Goettle Company applauded the decision. He indicated that he is a friend of Kristi Ronyak and has 'helped out' her organization over the years.

If you are in or near Baltimore on October 16th, consider joining with PDCA to support Construction Angels Bingo. See the flier below to learn how you can get involved.

WATCH: Member's Video Analyzes Geotechnics in Pre-Design of Bridge Build

Who won? Read stories about 2025's winning Project of the Year entries!