PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
As many as four trains would pass within a few feet of driven
pile and sheeting locations on any given day. With no daily train
schedule available, Boh Bros. would have limited advanced
warning to move equipment safely out of the path of the trains.
pipe piles. Moving from the south side where the 80-ton crawler
crane started to the north side of the congested downtown site
without inconveniencing other subcontractors (or winners going
to the Harrah’s Casino) took much planning and coordination.
The urgency in the project’s schedule intensified exponentially
when predictions of a high river event threatened to shut down
the entire pile driving operation. In the New Orleans area, any disturbance
of soil within 1,500 feet of the Mississippi River levee is
typically forbidden after the river elevation exceeds 11 feet at the
Carrollton gage. After a brief shutdown, a variance from the Army
Corps of Engineers was obtained that allowed for pile driving to
continue up to an elevation of 12 feet for pipe piles and 14 feet
for sheet piles. This variance allowed for Boh Bros. to complete
the work on time. Soon after Boh’s completion, the river elevation
exceeded 12 feet and remained there for months.
The Four Season’s project was completed on time and without
a single safety-related incident. At one point, Boh had one crawler
crane rig, two low overhead rigs, one sheeting rig and one pile fill
crew all working at the same time. Continuous coordination and
communication among the joint venture’s field superintendents,
Woodward’s structural group and the Boh Bros. team made this
project a success. t
www.piledrivers.org PILEDRIVER | 105
/www.piledrivers.org
