GEODesign was retained to perform geotechnical and structural engineering services for the redevelopment of a 150-year-old timber pier. The pier, consisting of a low timber platform covered with fill, will be replaced with a concrete pier on steel pile foundations. Previous subsurface investigations at the site revealed significant layers of soft organic clays and silts, with bedrock depths ranging from 60 to over 200 feet.
The Solutions Unearthed
- We performed additional borings and a site-specific seismic study and prepared a geotechnical report, which included foundation recommendations for the proposed new buildings.
- We performed a design study to consider adaptive reuse of the existing pier foundations to support the new pier. Ultimately, it was decided to construct a completely new, independent pier structure on top of the existing structure. We performed structural and geotechnical design of the new pier and provided drawings for the new reinforced concrete deck and steel piles driven to bedrock.
- It was anticipated that the presence of the existing pier and timber piles would result in many obstructions during new pile installation. Due to this and the required pile lengths to reach bedrock, the foundation design prioritized using a larger pile spacing so that fewer piles were required. Therefore, high-capacity driven piles were recommended for the new pier to provide cost-savings for the client.
We designed a new anchored sheet-pile bulkhead wall for the perimeter of the pier. Lateral support was achieved using tie rods and a pile-supported continuous concrete deadman.
Client: Newport Construction
