After the extensive damage brought by Hurricane Katrina in the United States in August 2005, the country had to implement drastic flood mitigation measures for the future. Surrounded by the Mississippi River and a large lake system, New Orleans is prone to flooding. The majority of its urban areas are situated between 0 and −6 meters above sea level as well, so the entire city is enclosed by levees and floodwalls. However, with a tidal surge causing overtopping, the levees and floodwalls were unable to withstand the pressure, and collapsed as a result. This project required earth-retaining sheet piles to be pressed in on both banks of the canal while repairing the canal itself. Except for some sections, the piles were then removed after the repairs were completed.
GIKEN Technologies Adopted for Soniat Canal Wall Rehabilitation Project in New Orleans, USA
More than 80% of New Orleans was flooded
Selection Basis
During construction work, GIKEN demonstrated its press-in technologies in the suburbs of New Orleans. They were rated highly for speed of construction, environmental performance, and accuracy of construction.
Comparison of construction methods
| Vibratory hammer piling method | GIKEN press-in method | |
| Number of piles placed per day | 10 pairs | 20pairs |
| Number of piles removed each day | 8 pairs | 22 pairs |
| Environmental performance | Buildings affected by vibration, complaints received | Vibration-free, noise-free construction |
| Construction accuracy | Once every few pairs,piles were placed outside of interlocks, with some sheet piles remaining in the ground because the strong reactive force of the high viscosity soil made it impossible to remove them | Sheet piles placed along the completion line according to the Press-in Essentials |
Project Overview
| Project Name | Soniat Canal rehabilitation work |
|---|---|
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana, USA |
| Equipment | SILENT PILER™ SCZ-675WM (two units) |
| Specifications of Pile Materials | 776 pairs of Z sheet piles (PZ35, 1,150 mm effective pair width, 21.6 m in length) |
| Press-in Construction Period | March 2007 to November 2008 |
