Photo courtesy of General Construction Co. General Construction built a dock to replace a timber apron and creosote-treated supporting piles.

General Construction had to avoid damaging the aging Magnolia Bridge, which crossed a portion of the project, left little overhead clearance and posed many challenges.

Throughout pile-driving operations, the General Construction team constantly monitored for movement of the bridge via surveying and vibration sensors.

One of the techniques used on the project involved the installation of 10 precast panels that weighed approximately 16 tons apiece, despite the low overhead clearance. General Construction developed a launching beam and gantry system in which the gantry rode along the launch beams while holding onto the precast member. This system worked well and provided a safe and efficient means of installing the precast.

Another challenge addressed by General was that several of the new augercast piles had to be drilled in over water. In order to perform this operation in an environmentally friendly manner, casings were installed to get the pile tops above the high-water line. A containment system was built so that all the spoils from the augercast drilling operation were contained.

General sent every crew member home safely without a reportable, recordable or lost-time injury for the entire 232-day project.