At JD Fields & Company, Inc., we are deeply committed to engineering solutions that prioritize safety and resilience, particularly in the face of nature’s most challenging events.
In 2021, 26-700 of our sheet piles were selected by Blue Iron Foundations & Shoring for the Casey Key Road Seawall Project in Nokomis, Florida. The barrier island project was designed by structural consultant McCall & Young and was privately funded by a small group of concerned homeowners seeking to protect their beachfront property from future hurricane forces. The 762-foot seawall was completed using hydraulic press pile technology to ensure precise installation tolerances and mitigate potential environmental impacts (noise and vibration) that could disturb the surrounding ecology and marine life.
Recently, this installation faced its ultimate test, enduring the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Helene (Category 4) and Milton (Category 3). These storms, with surges reaching up to 18 feet, rigorously tested the coastal defense system.
"It is rare to document a project during installation, then return a few years later after a Category 4 storm to evaluate performance. However, having a Category 3 event strikes the same wall just 10 days later is likely unprecedented. This project serves as a definitive case study on the strength of steel sheet pile walls under extreme cyclical conditions. Withstanding Mother Nature’s devastating one-two punch, with surges reaching 18 feet, demonstrates the critical role these engineered walls play in safeguarding our coastlines and preserving essential infrastructure," said Dean Abbondanza, Director of Engineering & Business Development at JD Fields & Company, Inc.
The pictures tell the story. Blue Iron pressed 162 pairs at 40 feet (coated top 12 feet) to a final wall elevation of 6.5 feet above sea level. Following Hurricane Helene's impact, the 8-to-10-foot surge deposited 2 feet of beach 40 yards past the wall. With barely any time to begin the cleanup, Milton brought another surge ten days later, dumping an additional 2 feet of beach on top of Helene’s destruction. While sand and debris can be removed, the structures cannot withstand a foundation failure. From Ian’s Category 5 wrath in 2022 to the recent events of Helene and Milton, the cantilevered sheet pile wall continues to withstand the forces Mother Nature throws at the Florida Gulf Coast barrier island, protecting the foundations of these valuable beachfront properties.
#Engineering #CoastalProtection #HurricaneHelene #HurricaneMilton #JDFields #SheetPile #Piling #Steel
