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The new Incheon Grand Bridge – or simply the Incheon Bridge – is 18.4km (11.4mi), six-lane toll bridge in the city of Incheon, South Korea. The project was constructed in the metropolitan city of Incheon (pop. more than 2.7 million), the major seaport city on Korea’s western coast and home to the country’s largest international airport.

With three bridge lanes in each direction, the bridge now connects Songdo City and Incheon International Airport located on Yeongjong Island. It is now Korea’s longest bridge and currently the fifth-longest cable-stayed bridge in the world.

Design and construction was undertaken by Samsung Construction Joint Venture, which consisted of seven major Korean contractors. The complete project costs totaled more than $1.4 billion.

Construction

Incheon Bridge construction was accomplished using barges in deep waters and land-based construction in shallower waters along the bridges route.

It was more cost-effective and time-efficient to use land-based construction in shallow water areas. But this decision required creation of an artificial island platform to allow the use of land-based equipment.

Reclamation dikes were constructed before fill was placed within the confines of the dikes to raise the platform to the design level. Many options for the construction of the reclamation dikes were evaluated and the solution using geotextile tubes was adopted because it was more economical and satisfied the client’s technical requirements as well as construction time constraints.

The primary 12.3km (7.6mi) center bridge section was constructed in an area of soft marine and estuarial deposits in waters of varying depth and a maximum tidal range exceeding 9m (30ft).

The geotextile tube application allowed construction of the perimeter reclamation dike within a tight construction schedule as well as difficult tidal, wave, and foundation conditions. The sand-filled geotextile tube dikes adapted to the large foundation deformations and withstood wave onslaught from the sea during the entire bridge construction period.

Geotextile tubes

A geotextile tube is a close-ended fabric tube with filling ports. Sand is hydraulically pumped in through the filling ports during site installation to effectively form a partially flattened “sand sausage” that acts as a reclamation dike unit.

Reclamation dikes up to 3m (10ft) high and 60m (200ft) long were constructed within a few hours using the geotextile tube application. A total of more than 14km (8.7mi) of geotextile tubes with diameters ranging from 3-5m (10-13ft) were supplied to the Incheon Grand Bridge Project as reclamation dike units to form a 1.6km (1mi) long artificial island strip that rises about 7-9m (23-30ft) above the sloping seabed.

The artificial island had to be functinal and well-maintained during the entire construction period. This geotextile tube supply contract was valued at more than $2 million.

Geotextile tubes were used successfully as reclamation dikes to construct the artificial island strip that facilitated construction of the foundation and superstructure for the Incheon Bridge project within the construction time frame. The geotextile tube solution resulted in significant cost savings over conventional reclamation dike construction methods.

This geotextile tube project is currently the largest of its kind in Korea in terms of quantity and project value. The geotextile tube diameter of 5m (16.5ft) used in this project also represents the largest dimension currently installed in Korea.

Dredging of 2.5 miles was wrapped up a little after noon on Friday.

Tom Bennett, the project manager, said in a town statement that about 18,000 cubic yards of material were pumped out and 40 million gallons of water were treated successfully before being returned to the canal system.

“This is the largest project ever undertaken by our town,” Bennett said. “It involved the construction of two large settlement basins with a combined capacity of 5 million gallons of water.”

Delays early in the project revolved around negotiations to find land for settlement basins to treat water from the canals.

After the town cleared that hurdle, dredging got under way. But the project was brought to a halt early in 2010 because the company hired to do the work was unable to extract fine particles from the water before putting it back into the canals.

Bennett called the project “very complex, including the permit process, the required dredging methodology, and the stringent water quality limits required for discharge after the separation of solids.”

All told, the first phase of the canal dredging was budgeted at about $2.2 million, but Town Manager Peter Rascoe said Monday he expected that it would come in at $30,000 under that.

Byrd Brothers Emergency Services of Wilson had taken responsibility over the dredging operations. Byrd sub-contracted with ADI Marine of Minot, N.D., to do the dredging, and ADI Marine contracted with WaterSolve of Grand Rapids, Mich., to perform the water-spoil separation process.

The town will now pursue new permits for the rest of the 7.5-mile canal system and consider funding options, Rascoe said. He said it is not known yet if the rest of the system would be done all at once or in phases.

View the full article >>

A handful of officials were on hand to watch the lift including Mayor Hal Denny and Tom Bennett, the town’s project manager for the 2.5-mile dredging job with a $2.2 million price tag.

A portion of the project was paid for with an $800,000 grant from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The rest of the money came from the town’s capital resources, officials said.

Byrd Brothers Emergency Services out of Wilson serves as the main contractor for the project, which is scheduled to be completed in several months.

Town Manager Peter Rascoe stopped by the site briefly to have Mayor Denny sign several papers.

Rascoe said he was glad to see the dredge work being completed.

“The canals are an important asset to the town and its residents,” he said.

A small army of workers from Rose Welding and Crane Service of Columbia first positioned the two 100-ton cranes on the road that traverses the small bridge. After the cranes were set up, it took a while to rig up to the dredge.

The craft features two large pontoons in the front, and the cutter head protrudes in the center. A vacuum pump sucks up the mud and water and it exits from the stern through a large, black pipe that runs all the way to the spoil site.

Amidships there’s a small cabin for the operator. Three legs or spuds stabilize the craft when it’s engaged in dredging. It is not a sleek vessel by any means.

“That thing is all business,” Denny said.

Once the lift started, the dredge was raised up, across the bridge and set back into the canal with relative ease.

“This is an exciting moment here,” said Joe Anlauf an engineer with Quible & Associates of Southern Shores. “A little bit of history.”

From the comfort and warmth of his big red pick-up truck, Nate Dorman, the dredge operator, admitted it made him a little nervous to see his craft suspended from the crane cables. He works for Advanced Divers Inc., one of the subcontractors for the project.

Dorman has had a bit of bad luck while in town as he’s injured each foot. Dorman was getting around on crutches before he took refuge in his truck.

“Nate’s had a rough month here with a couple of foot accidents,” Bennett said.

The project manager said a second operator was on his way to help out but Dorman can still work, too.

“They’re bringing in a second operator today so they can dredge longer hours,” Bennett said.

So far, the company has dredged the canal north of the Dick White Bridge to a depth of four to six feet, Bennett said. Now, they’ll look to dredge about 3,500 feet to the south. It’s the second stage of Phase I of the project.

The final stage is the main channel that runs from the North Marina out and across the mouth of the Ginguite Creek and then into the Currituck Sound, Rascoe said.

The water was so low the morning of the lift, it almost looked as if the dredge could slip under the bridge, but the town officials said it was not possible. For one thing, the lower water level brings the rip rap rocks on each side into play and the dredge is just too wide.

For different reasons, the water has been low during the entire project, Denny said.

“There’s low water today,” he said. “It has hampered the project all along.

“This is a costly operation, this lift,” the mayor said.

During the hydraulic dredging process so far, all sorts of things have been recovered from the bottom of the canal — just about everything but treasure.

They’ve recovered binoculars, guywires, an anchor and chain, a car battery and plenty of natural things such as tree limbs and tree trunks.

All of the dredge materials, both the mud and the water, are pumped to a huge disposal or de-watering site along the canal just off of Hillcrest Drive.

There, two basins allow the silt to settle out of the water before the water is pumped back into the canal system. The larger basin contains 24,000 cubic yards of materials, Bennett said.

It’s a huge site with heavy machinery, large pumps and water treatment facilities. Due to government regulations, the water that’s returned to the canals has to meet certain criteria.

In a make-shift tent adjacent to the settlement basins, Mike Broering of Watersolve out of Grand Rapids, Mich. was busy testing the turbidity of the water. He adds coagulants and polymers to the water to speed up the clarification process.

In the larger basin, an excavator is used to dip soil out of the bottom and it is hauled to a staging area by a six-wheel-drive dump truck. Once the project is completed, all of the dark soil and the materials will be mixed together and graded back to a natural slope down to the water.

The three hilltop property owners that allowed the basins to be built in the back yards of their respective canal front properties were compensated for the use of the land and they also get to keep the fill materials.

The town plans to dredge another five miles of canals in the future. They’re considering using a different type of dredging such as mechanical dredging for that work. First, however, they need to come up with the money, town officials said.

BY DARYL LAW (womacknewspapers)
View Full Article >>

Watersolve’s experience and coast-to-coast agility keeps solutions rolling out including this latest partnership.

(Taken from Dredging Today.com)

Two large cranes worked together to lift a 23-ton dredge vessel up and over the Dick White Bridge on North Dogwood Trail in Southern Shores on Wednesday, Jan. 5. Now, the dredging of the canal under the bridge can resume.

A handful of officials were on hand to watch the lift including Mayor Hal Denny and Tom Bennett, the town’s project manager for the 2.5-mile dredging job with a $2.2 million price tag.

A portion of the project was paid for with an $800,000 grant from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The rest of the money came from the town’s capital resources, officials said.

Byrd Brothers Emergency Services out of Wilson serves as the main contractor for the project, which is scheduled to be completed in several months.

Town Manager Peter Rascoe stopped by the site briefly to have Mayor Denny sign several papers.

Rascoe said he was glad to see the dredge work being completed.

“The canals are an important asset to the town and its residents,” he said.

A small army of workers from Rose Welding and Crane Service of Columbia first positioned the two 100-ton cranes on the road that traverses the small bridge. After the cranes were set up, it took a while to rig up to the dredge.

The craft features two large pontoons in the front, and the cutter head protrudes in the center. A vacuum pump sucks up the mud and water and it exits from the stern through a large, black pipe that runs all the way to the spoil site.

Amidships there’s a small cabin for the operator. Three legs or spuds stabilize the craft when it’s engaged in dredging. It is not a sleek vessel by any means.

“That thing is all business,” Denny said.

Once the lift started, the dredge was raised up, across the bridge and set back into the canal with relative ease.

“This is an exciting moment here,” said Joe Anlauf an engineer with Quible & Associates of Southern Shores. “A little bit of history.”

From the comfort and warmth of his big red pick-up truck, Nate Dorman, the dredge operator, admitted it made him a little nervous to see his craft suspended from the crane cables. He works for Advanced Divers Inc., one of the subcontractors for the project.

Dorman has had a bit of bad luck while in town as he’s injured each foot. Dorman was getting around on crutches before he took refuge in his truck.

“Nate’s had a rough month here with a couple of foot accidents,” Bennett said.

The project manager said a second operator was on his way to help out but Dorman can still work, too.

“They’re bringing in a second operator today so they can dredge longer hours,” Bennett said.

So far, the company has dredged the canal north of the Dick White Bridge to a depth of four to six feet, Bennett said. Now, they’ll look to dredge about 3,500 feet to the south. It’s the second stage of Phase I of the project.

The final stage is the main channel that runs from the North Marina out and across the mouth of the Ginguite Creek and then into the Currituck Sound, Rascoe said.

The water was so low the morning of the lift, it almost looked as if the dredge could slip under the bridge, but the town officials said it was not possible. For one thing, the lower water level brings the rip rap rocks on each side into play and the dredge is just too wide.

For different reasons, the water has been low during the entire project, Denny said.

“There’s low water today,” he said. “It has hampered the project all along.

“This is a costly operation, this lift,” the mayor said.

During the hydraulic dredging process so far, all sorts of things have been recovered from the bottom of the canal — just about everything but treasure.

They’ve recovered binoculars, guywires, an anchor and chain, a car battery and plenty of natural things such as tree limbs and tree trunks.

All of the dredge materials, both the mud and the water, are pumped to a huge disposal or de-watering site along the canal just off of Hillcrest Drive.

There, two basins allow the silt to settle out of the water before the water is pumped back into the canal system. The larger basin contains 24,000 cubic yards of materials, Bennett said.

It’s a huge site with heavy machinery, large pumps and water treatment facilities. Due to government regulations, the water that’s returned to the canals has to meet certain criteria.

In a make-shift tent adjacent to the settlement basins, Mike Broering of Watersolve out of Grand Rapids, Mich. was busy testing the turbidity of the water. He adds coagulants and polymers to the water to speed up the clarification process.

In the larger basin, an excavator is used to dip soil out of the bottom and it is hauled to a staging area by a six-wheel-drive dump truck. Once the project is completed, all of the dark soil and the materials will be mixed together and graded back to a natural slope down to the water.

The three hilltop property owners that allowed the basins to be built in the back yards of their respective canal front properties were compensated for the use of the land and they also get to keep the fill materials.

The town plans to dredge another five miles of canals in the future. They’re considering using a different type of dredging such as mechanical dredging for that work. First, however, they need to come up with the money, town officials said.

BY DARYL LAW (womacknewspapers)