Army Corps Looking for 100 Million Cu Yd of Clay
Geologic Hazards
New Orleans Levees Need to be Raised 11-ft
The US Army Corps of Engineers has issued a report that indicates the eastern portion of the levee system that protects Bernard Parrish will need to be raised by 11-ft to 29-ft to protect against the 100-year hurricane. Levees along Lake Pontchartrain were designed in the 1960s for what was then considered to be 200-yr and 300-yr hurricanes. Now they are judged sufficient for the 100-yr event. More at NOLA.COM.
Project Related
Deleware Forced to Redesign Unfinished Bridge Because of Consolidation Issues
[Update 2/10/08] Updated the name of the bridge. [/Update]
DelDOT is putting the new Indian River Bridge over out to bid. The current bridge is said to be in danger of failing between 2008 and 2012 according to the Army Corps of Engineers, seems to be related to scour. From what I hear, the tidal currents at that inlet being spanned over are tremendous, with water velocities on the order of 35 mph.
In 2005, Mactec, a geotechnical firm, provided a geotechnical report and associated recommendations to DelDOT for how to construct the 45-ft high approach embankments for a 1,400-ft long bridge in light of a 60-ft clay layer (sounds like pre-loading). However, the embankments are not settling as Mactec predicted (not sure if its more or less, probably less meaning slower) and are "shifting laterally" (squeezing?) so the DOT is going with a longer bridge to span the problem soil. More after the break.
Project Related
Rubble from Katrina will be used in erosion control gabion mattresses
The I-10 Twin Spans bridges were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, but the concrete rubble from the structures will be used inside gabion mattresses to line a 7.8-mile stretch of the Lake Borgne shoreline to reduce […]