Nestled within the prestigious Moorings enclave, the Commodore Club exudes an air of refined coastal living. Positioned just a leisurely mile south of the bustling boutiques and gourmet eateries adorning The Village on Venetian Bay, this exclusive non-gated community offers an unparalleled lifestyle experience.
Gracing the bayfront, the Commodore Club presents an array of crafted condominiums, each occupying its own floor to ensure privacy and tranquility. The allure of these residences is further enhanced by the availability of boat docks. Gulf access to the Gulf of Mexico is just a short boat ride ahead exiting through Doctors Pass.
Seawall Savers was originally contracted by a local marine construction company to install a helical anchor tieback system for a new seawall. Geotechnical soil borings were supplied to us and the subsurface soils appeared adequate to install helicals into. However, once we mobilized to the project site, the helicals would not secure the required torque capacity. Test helicals were installed to 65 feet without acquiring the engineered design load.
The project had to be temporarily stopped as engineers came up with a new design strategy. The process entailed several weeks as alternative designs and calculations were prepared.
Due to the extent of the helical tiebacks not functioning in the poor soil conditions, a batter pile or king pile was proposed to provide stability for the new seawall.
A battered pile, unlike its traditional vertical counterpart, is driven into the ground at an angle, presenting distinct installation hurdles. These piles are frequently employed to enhance lateral stability, crucial for withstanding cyclonic activity, boat docking forces, waves, and exceptional wind loads. Particularly in scenarios where space is constrained, such as behind existing condominium structures, battered piles may represent the solitary feasible option to bolster both horizontal and vertical seawall capacity.
Pile installation in water often involves a modular barge with a crane on it. Driving a pile at an angle adds complexity, as it moves both sideways and downwards, exacerbating the challenge of maintaining position amidst waves, currents, and wind.
The engineers came up with a new hybrid design for this condominium stabilization project. The poor soil conditions warranted a design that included driven schedule 80 pipe piling hammered inside a hollow “Trueline Vinyl Panel” The pipe piling were driven to refusal within the lime rock. A geotechnical monitor provided recorded data to ensure the piling hit rock refusal.
Seawall Savers installed the “King Piles” (A Vinyl “Trueline Panel”, drove the 3 ½” pipe piles internally, and poured 5,000 P.S.I. marine grade concrete into the batter piling.
Seawall Savers and her sister company Coastal Foundation Solutions maintains a fleet of modular barges to perform specialty seawall construction when required. In addition, we maintain a fleet of marine support craft and special excavators.
We take pride in using U.S. Coast Guard approved biodegradable Hydraulic fluid in all our equipment.
“Truline Vinyl Panels, blend the strengths of two established materials, vinyl, and steel-reinforced concrete, to create an unparalleled solution for seawalls. Protecting the steel-reinforced concrete core, with an external vinyl casing preserves the panels integrity for 50 years.
Pin Piles are small diameter pipe piles usually 3″ or 4″ in diameter driven to refusal. These piles are the most economical and very practical in many cases. Pin Piles are schedule 80 Galvanized generally cut in 10′ sections, the lead piece has a sacrificial drill bit to drill into limestone, and extensions fitted with distinctive sleeves used to later weld together proceeding pieces as necessary to achieve the final pile length required.
The pin piles were installed to an overall depth of 35 feet into competent lime rock. We installed these piling/ “Trueline” combination in seventy-eight locations.
The project was an exceptional success with multiple teams and contractors working together to resolve a field issue. The Seawall Savers family is proud to have the years of relationships we have bolstered to assist us in our endeavors.
At Seawall Savers, we specialize in expert seawall repair services aimed at restoring both the strength and functionality of your seawall. Contact Olivia or Kit today for a complimentary seawall assessment at 239-984-9899.