Site Constraints Complicate a Bulkhead Replacement: It Takes a Team to Overcome the Challenges
North American Aggregates (NAA), a leading supplier of aggregates in the New York area, recently constructed a new processing facility in Perth Amboy, NJ. One of the final components of the new facility...
Beyond the Water’s Edge: Geotechnics in the Wet
Gaining insight into the subsurface and developing an understanding of what’s hidden below ground is a key to the design and construction process. Geotechnical engineers and geologists often develop their...
Seismic Performance of a Deep Soil Mixing Grid: A Magnitude 7.1 Load Test at the Port of Alaska
The Port of Alaska in Anchorage (Port) has embarked on a multiphase modernization program that includes the development of a new petroleum and cement terminal (PCT) berth. The berth consists of a pile-supported...
Advanced Data Analytics In Geotechnics: Adapting to the Big Data Era
Everyone is talking about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the future of work. In one camp are people like the industrialist Elon Musk who fear the potential evils of AI and its possible impact...
Risk in Geotechnical Practice: Geotechnical Judgment
People use judgment in every aspect of their lives. We rely on our judgments to make decisions that can have consequences from small to large on ourselves and on others, sometimes with life-threatening...
The San Jacinto Monument: Over a Foot of Settlement, but Level
On March 6, 1836, General Santa Anna and his Mexican troops killed all those defending the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, TX. The Texans wished to be independent from Mexico and regrouped after this severe...
Avoid Negativity Bias
You are, or imagine you are, retired and reflecting. You recall unfulfilled personal and professional dreams, some held for decades. You might have wanted to walk the Appalachian Trail. Perhaps you longed...
Poison Oak, Mistakes, and Lessons
When things go wrong in geotechnicalengineering — like ground movements andearthwork construction delays — failureinvestigations are often performed. In a typical geotechnical project, the path is relatively...
Donald T. Goldberg, PE
The Wait Is Over…DIGGS Is Here!
The roll-out of Data Interchange for Geotechnical and GeoEnvironmental Specialists (DIGGS) has started, and the Ohio DOT (ODOT) has already announced that it will be required beginning January 2018. This...
A Foundation Engineering Trip Down the Mississippi: Foundations for Mississippi River Bridges from Minnesota to Louisiana
Huckleberry Finn had his adventure, but for those interested in foundation engineering, this article will float you down the Mississippi River on your own encounter with the many bridges...
Spread Footings Revisited: Geotechnical Advances Lead to Expanded Use for Bridge Abutments
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has historically used steel shell piles to support highway bridge structures, probably due to a blend of familiarity and efficiency among...
Screw Piles and Helical Anchors: 180 Years of Use in Geotechnical Engineering
Since 1836, screw piles and screw cylinders have been used successfully throughout the world to support a variety of large-scale, civil engineering structures. Their development and use...
Foundation Engineering...102
Most of our textbooks still separate foundation options into two simplistic categories: shallow or deep. That's why so many of us are geared toward thinking about the foundation...
Evaluating Bridges With Unknown Foundations for Susceptibility to Scour: North Carolina Applies Risk-Based Guidelines to Over 3,750 Bridges
Scour occurs when flowing water removes erodible material such as sand and rock. For bridges over water, scour affects the stability of pier and abutment foundations and contributes to...
Bill Shannon and Stan Wilson: Geotechnical Pioneers with a 60-Year Legacy
Starting a business today can pose an array of challenges–planning, financial, legal, and licensing among them. But at its core, a company's founders must be dedicated to...
Geotextile Tube Dewatering
Geotextile tubes are made of high-strength, permeable geotextile that, when filled with a slurry, allow water to drain from the tubes while retaining the solids. They can be prefabricated...
National Usage of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil to Support Bridges
The Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge System (GRS IBS) was developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) almost 20 years ago to help meet the demand for the next...
Very Long-Term Care of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Berms: Limiting the Liability of Future Stakeholders
Since their development over 50 years ago, civil engineering applications of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) berms have significantly increased. When used as a component of an asset...
Geosynthetic Materials Help Build Optimized Infrastructure
In recent years, the world has begun to realize the negative impacts that limited infrastructure can have on economic growth and the well-being of humankind. Our infrastructure challenges...
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