Client: Port of Houston Authority

Location: Houston, Texas

 

Manchester Wharves

OTHON provided engineering services for the repair of slope failure at Manchester No. 1 Wharf at the Port of Houston

Features:​

• Coordination of surveying
• Geotechnical investigation
• Drainage improvement for Manchester Nos. 1, 2, and 3 wharves
• Installation of a new steel sheet piling bulkhead with anchor walls at Manchester No. 2
• Replacement of an existing timber bulkhead at Manchester No. 1 with a steel sheet piling bulkhead anchored with inclined steel H-piles due to the existence of a tank farm directly behind the bulkhead.

 

Harborwalk Development

This master-planned waterfront community and marina on West Galveston Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway is surrounded by protected wetlands.

Features:​

• Design of sheet piling seawalls to create home lots with private canals and boat slips for the community
• PVC sheet piling were used for their aesthetic appearance on the bulkheads. It added ease of installation and cost-savings when compared with steel
• Vinyl sheets are tied-back with a system of walers and stainless steel tie-rods to timber deadman anchors, then filled with select sand backfill

Each section of the four sections of Harborwalk featured from 9,000 to 12,000 lf of bulkhead. A portion of the seawall facing West Galveston Bay also required detailed design for potential storm and wave scour.  In addition, other environmental considerations were made for wall installation adjacent to protected wetlands areas.

The marina design required a different wall material due to a higher wall exposure; a composite, fiberglass material that had stronger flexural properties was selected by OTHON.