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The Geotechnical Services of Kiewit Engineering Co. (KECo) provides consulting to the operating districts of Kiewit on bid estimates and work-in-progress. Geotechnical Services include ground behavior assessments, pile driving analysis and dewatering analysis. With Kiewit’s history of large-scale earth-moving operations, Geotechnical Services is key to providing method selection and design for support of excavation. As part of KECo’s interfacing of disciplines, Geotechnical Services works closely with Design Services to assess required earth support and the structures needed to achieve support. Geotechnical Services assists with Kiewit’s underground operations in tunneling, deep foundation analysis and design, caisson installation methods and underground construction. Geotechnical Services also assists in reviewing instrumentation and monitoring data.
Dulles – West Utility Building Tunnel – Sterling, VA
For this challenging underground baggage-handling tunnel beneath active taxiways, KECo provided a pre-bid geotechnical assessment for construction of a 20-ft.-diameter tunnel. A sequential mining method involving short excavations and shotcrete application (known as the New Austrian Tunneling Method) was used at a depth of 20 ft. In addition, Geotechnical Services provided the development of ground monitoring work plans and instrumentation review.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge – Tacoma, WA
As part of the massive substructure work needed for this 5,413-ft.-long suspension bridge, Geotechnical Services was involved in foundation design for the two large sunken caisson foundation boxes (130-ft. by 80-ft. by 250-ft. deep) that anchor the 510-ft.-tall towers on either side of the bridge. Geotechnical Services also assisted in construction planning and caisson penetration evaluation for the steel shell boxes filled with concrete that will eventually settle by their own weight on the river bottom.
Hood Canal Bridge – Port Gamble, WA
For the extensive pontoon construction of this floating bridge, Geotechnical Services provided the graving dock cofferdam design loading evaluation for the area where the pontoons will be fabricated. Also provided were dewatering system design and pile driving evaluation.
Benicia-Martinez Bridge – Benicia, CA
For the pier construction of this 8,790-ft. structure, Geotechnical Services performed pile driving evaluation, foundation methods analysis and foundation design for falsework as well as crane foundations. These piers consist of approximately 130 piles, which are 8.25-ft.-dia. Cast in Drill Hole (CIDH) casings with 7.5-ft. rock sockets ranging from 105-ft. to 256-ft. deep. The 62-ft.-wide, 71-ft.-long and 4.5-ft.-deep, 1,700-ton footings are constructed offsite at the Mare Island facility, floated into place and supported on the CIDH piles. A typical footing will have eight CIDH piles. The bridge’s segmental superstructure comprises 11 pier tables and 335 cast-in-place segments.