Projects posted on August / Inner Harbor Navigation Floodwall
One of the largest single aspects of the newly designed flood protection system in New Orleans, Louisiana and the largest design-build civil works construction project in the history of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Surge Barrier. Subsequent to months of planning and based on 30% design, Traylor-Massman-Weeks, LLC (TMW) received official Notice to Proceed for the largest portion of this project, the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Floodwall on May 5, 2009. TMW is a construction team comprised of Traylor Bros., Inc. of Evansville, Indiana, Massman Construction Co. of Kansas City, Missouri, and Weeks Marine, Inc. of Cranford, New Jersey. In order to accommodate an accelerated 18-month schedule, TMW immediately began installation of permanent work in only four days by driving the first of (1271 ea) 66-in diameter x 144-ft long concrete cylinder pile on May 9, 2009. The Floodwall project alignment spans approximately 7500-lf closing off the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) and tying into the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) bypass structure. The 144-ft cylinder pile were driven with 6-ft center-to-center dimensions leaving a 6-in gap between each and make up the main foundation component of the Floodwall structure. Remaining foundation components include a pair of 18-in x 59.75-ft square pile to seal the gap between each cylinder pile and 36-in diameter x 248-ft batter pile providing lateral support. The steel batter pile were driven in two pieces on a 1.5V : 1H batter, spliced at mid-drive, and spaced at 12-ft center-to-center dimensions along the length of the Floodwall.These foundation components were then tied together with pre-cast and cast-in-place concrete caps and a 2-ft thick parapet wall topping out at elevation 26-ft. During execution of the work, TMW accrued over 1 million manhours and zero lost time accidents reaching 100% completion within the required 18-month schedule.
