Advantages of Pressed-In Sheet Piles for New Orleans' Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System Flood Control Project-Paper

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The paper describes the use of press-in sheet piling on the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal (IHNC) Reach II Emergency Interim Repair, part of New Orleans’ Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System. The project installed approximately 885 linear feet of 55-foot steel sheet piles alongside an existing concrete floodwall to create a seepage cutoff through dense sand.<br /><br />Conventional installation proved unsuccessful. Contractors tried three vibratory hammers and a powerful impact hammer, but the piles could not penetrate the dense soil; hammering also bent pile tops and, when combined with water jetting, caused soil movement and cracking near a railroad bed. Construction was suspended while a safer alternative was sought.<br /><br />A hydraulic press-in machine was adopted, using previously installed piles for reaction force and advancing along the completed pile wall. Its low clamping point applied force near ground level, improving control and reducing energy loss and pile damage. Combined with high-pressure water jetting to loosen the soil, it installed the piles without vibration or impact. The method also required little working space and minimized disruption to the existing floodwall, railway, and nearby surroundings.<br /><br />The machine installed each pair of 55-foot piles in roughly 8–11 minutes. The project reached a point 17% ahead of schedule and was completed in June 2010. The authors conclude that press-in piling with water jetting was the most feasible solution for the difficult soil and constrained site conditions. Its performance also demonstrates the method’s broader value for flood-control construction in populated areas where noise, vibration, settlement, accuracy, and access are important concerns.

Keywords

press-in sheet piling

Inner Harbor Navigational Canal

IHNC Reach II

New Orleans floodwall

seepage cutoff

steel sheet piles

hydraulic press-in machine

water jetting

dense sand

flood-control construction