Major Geotechnical - Infrastructure / Civil Projects
Periodic Inspection Levee Systems, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, FL
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GESTRA Engineering performed periodic inspection for a total of 10 levee systems in the West Okeechobee Region and Clewiston Region of South Florida. A total of 183 miles of levee was inspected. As part of the Levee Safety Program, the Periodic Inspection included documentation of deficiencies on the Levee Inspection System (LIS) tablet.
GESTRA engineers reviewed design criteria and current design standards. The PI field inspection was conducted by physically walking the entire alignment, and inspecting the levee crest, the riverside slope, and the landside slope of the levee systems. Inspectors noted physical condition of all system features and entered data into the Levee Inspection System (LIS) tablet. Internal drainage features were also inspected. Ratings were assigned in accordance to criteria as outlined in United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) inspection checklist guidelines. Coordination with USACE included issuance of a Pre-Inspection Packet, a Draft Report and an Out-Brief presentation. Final inspection reports were prepared to document ratings for each item and provide conclusions and recommendations. Statements were included as to the ability of each feature to function as authorized. |
Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers Project, Downtown Closures, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, IL
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Des Moines River flows southerly through the City of Des Moines. The Raccoon River confluence is in the southeastern part of downtown Des Moines. The City experienced significant flooding in 1993 and again in 2008 after heavy precipitation. The Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers (DMRR) Project consists of three main components: 1) reconstruction of the Birdland Park levee system, 2) reconstruction of the Central Place levee system, and 3) construction of the Downtown Closures. This project includes all engineering services required to prepare plans, specifications, and other supporting documents necessary for construction of the Downtown Closures.
Construction of the Downtown Closures will provide improvements to the existing Federal downtown flood protection system. Nine existing closure locations (roadways, railroads, and amphitheater) which are now temporary/earthern plug closures will be improved with permanent closures, width reductions, revised tie-ins, or swing gate/stoplog closures. The sites are located along both banks of the Des Moines River, beginning upstream of the downtown area near I-235 and ending downstream near the City’s wastewater treatment facility. |
Waste Water Treatment Plant Improvements, Hebron, IL
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The waste water treatment plant improvements included a sewage treatment control building, raw sewage pump station, influent screening, aeration tanks, final clarifiers, pump station, UV disinfection, aerobic digester and sludge storage lagoons. GESTRA performed geotechnical engineering services including drilling and laboratory testing, and prepared a geotechnical report presenting recommendations for foundations, site improvement, lateral soil pressure on below grade walls, service road design and construction considerations.
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Elm Road Power Generation, Oak Creek, WI
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WE Energies increased the power production capacity of the Oak Creek facility by constructing a second plant, referred to as the Elm Road Generating Station. The plant was constructed in an excavated area in the bluff north of the existing plant on the shore of Lake Michigan. Preparation of the site required significant excavation (over 4 million cubic yards) and transportation of the excavated material.
GESTRA Engineering, Inc. (GESTRA) performed the subsurface exploration work for the project that included soil and rock drilling and sampling, well installation and monitoring, borehole pressuremeter testing, soil resistivity test, down hole shear wave velocity determination, in-situ hydraulic conductivity test. GESTRA also performed laboratory testing of soil and rock including consolidated undrained shear test with pore pressure measurement, unconfined compression test, one dimensional consolidation test, Atterberg limits determination, soil gradation-mechanical and hydrometer, moisture and organic content test, and sulphate,chloride and pH determination. A total of 47 standard penetration soil borings to depths varying from 20 to 100 feet, for a total of 2750.5 lineal feet, was drilled for this project. Boreholes were advanced using hollow stem augers (4 ¼” and 2 ¼”ID) until saturated sands were encountered that required mud rotary drilling and were abandoned with bentonite slurry in accordance with applicable WDNR regulations. |
SC Johnson Wind Turbine, Racine, WI
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This project consisted of construction of two 1.5 MW wind turbine with ancillary works. Performed 20 soil borings, depth ranging from 25 feet to 90 feet. Several pressure meter tests were also performed at the proposed turbine locations. Two monitoring wells were installed for long term water level monitoring. Laboratory tests were performed to determine the soil parameters to be used in performing geotechnical analysis for the turbine and the ancillary works. Geotechnical report was prepared for the access road, observation area, and crane pad foundation.
Foundation report was prepared for the two turbines. One turbine will be placed on a shallow foundation and the other is recommended to have either a driven pile foundation or stone columns. Static and dynamic module were estimated and used in the geotechnical analysis of the turbine foundation. |
Underwood Creek Projects, Milwaukee, WI
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The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) was reconstructed approximately 2,200 linear feet of Underwood Creek. GESTRA performed geotechnical engineering services including drilling and laboratory testing, and prepared a geotechnical report presenting recommendations on flow line, slope stability, erosion and scour control, service road design and construction considerations.
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