seawall stabilization

SEAWALL STABILIZATION
Manzanilla Beach Facility
BACKGROUND
The Manzanilla Beach Facility is a popular tourist destination
known internationally for its leatherback sea turtle nesting
areas. Located on the eastern side of the island of Trinidad in
the Caribbean Sea, the beach was forced to close in 2014 after
sections of its 25-year-old concrete seawall began to collapse
due to Manzanilla’s notoriously rough surf: vigorous wave
action was literally undermining the wall.
In fact, several concrete seawalls in the region have failed
due to the scouring action of waves at the toe of the walls.
The Coastal Protection Unit of Trinidad’s Ministry of Works &
Infrastructure required a new solution that was not vulnerable
to wave scouring. The solution had to perform three functions:
retaining wall, coastal erosion protection, and seawall barrier.
And it had to last much longer than the existing wall.
PROJECT SCOPE
The Shoreline Management Specialist for Trinidad’s Coastal
Protection Unit, Mrs. Candice Gary-Bernard, exhaustively
researched alternative approaches to concrete seawalls. In
particular, she was impressed by CMI’s response to similar
challenges in areas ranging from the Gulf of Mexico to the
Caribbean coasts of Colombia. Not only was CMI vinyl sheet
piling less money than steel piling, it is virtually maintenance
free, and it carried a 50-year warranty on materials and
manufacturing.
Working closely with the Ministry, and Marger Limited, a
Trinidad-based distributor, CMI engineered a new wall of vinyl
sheet piling that would extend much deeper into the soil than
the existing concrete wall.
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CONSTRUCTION
In addition to being intimately involved with all stages of
design and engineering, CMI was onsite to assist Zeeton
Limited, a Trinidad-based contractor, in the initial installation of
panels and their ArmorWare tie-back system.
PERFORMANCE
Tourism and future development is critically important for
the Manzanilla Beach area of Trinidad. So it’s not surprising
that when the beach reopened in August 2015, the head of
the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Surujrattan
Rambachan officiated the commemoration ceremony.
The new wall doesn’t just fulfill its three primary functions.
It’s also an integral part of a vibrant new public space that
includes a promenade with solar streetlights, sitting areas,
new concrete stairs and a wheelchair access ramp to the
beach. The Ministry of Works proudly displays a YouTube video
of the completed project.
Manzanilla Beach is Trinidad’s first public works project using
vinyl synthetic piling. Nevertheless, they have already started a
second ShoreGuard® 850-based beach protection project, just
north of Manzanilla Beach, at Cocos Bay.
WALL SPECIFICATION
SG 850
TimberGuard
 770-933-8166 | [email protected] | cmilc.com
Date:
August 2015
Contractor:
Zeeton Limited
Owner:
Manzanilla Beach Facility
Engineers:
Ministry of Works & Infrastructure and CMI
Enineering
Depth
19 ft.
5.8 m
Length
872 ft.
252 m
The very dense soil (40 SPT sand) required an auger to
prepare it prior to the vibratory-hammer driving of the
sheets. Alternatively, CMI’s PileClaw® Mandrel may have
been used, eliminating the auger.
Using polymer-coated ArmorRod™ tie-backs, the SG-850
Vinyl Sheet Piles are tied back to DMA-9 Plate Anchors,
which are installed on the existing concrete wall.
To the left is the excavator-mounted auger. To the right is
the excavator-mounted vibratory hammer for driving the
sheet piles.
Onsite, CMI assisted the contractor, Zeeton Limited, with
the initial installation of the panels and their ArmorWare
tie-back system.
Crane Materials International (CMI) manufactures innovative
products which provide value added sustainable solutions for the
construction and engineering communities.
Physical properties are defined by ASTM testing standards, The Aluminum Association Design Manual, The Naval Facilities Design Manual DM 7.2, and The US Army Corps of Engineers General Design Guide: PVC
Sheet Pile and/or standard engineering practice. The values shown are nominal and may vary. The information found in this document is believed to be true and accurate. No warranties of any kind are made
as to the suitability of any CMI product for particular applications or the results obtained there from. Crane Materials International is a Crane Building Products® company. CRANE MATERIALS INTERNATIONAL
products are covered by one or more of the following U.S. Patents and International Patents: 4,674,921; 4,690,588; 5,292,208; 5,145,287; 6,000,883; 6,033,155;6,053,666; D420,154; 6,575,667; 7,059,807;
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 770-933-8166 | [email protected] | cmisheetpiling.com