Optimizing the Design and Implementation of Ground Improvement for a 241-Acre Warehouse Development-PPT Presentation

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The 241-acre Tremley Point development in Linden, New Jersey, involved eight warehouses, ranging from 330,000 to 840,000 square feet, and new access roads. Variable compressible soils created a risk of substantial settlement: unimproved estimates for building areas ranged from 1 to 3 feet, while the allowable building settlement was 2 inches.<br /><br />The project team evaluated deep dynamic compaction, surcharge, and controlled modulus columns (CMCs), selecting CMC rigid inclusions to control settlement and improve bearing capacity beneath heavily loaded slabs and foundations. Designs were tailored to three grading conditions—cut, neutral, and fill—and column spacing was interpolated between analyses of bounding conditions.<br /><br />For the Graselli Access Road, a plane-strain model assessed deformations and CMC loads, with stability and sliding analyses performed at regular intervals. High-strength geogrid improved sliding resistance. A utility protection slab was designed to span a nearby utility.<br /><br />Existing surcharges and stockpiles had preloaded soils beneath Buildings C and H. The team used this stress history to support wider CMC spacing at Building C and monitored surcharge settlement for more than 16 months at Building H. Those observations were used to calibrate models and refine the design. Three-dimensional modeling also assessed transitions between CMC sizes, deep dynamic compaction, and exterior-fill support, focusing on slab settlement gradients and CMC loads.<br /><br />Single-element static load tests on three CMC diameters verified capacity in glacial till and informed production embedment criteria. Tests generally showed small deflections—0.1 to 0.2 inches—at loads of 79 to 168 kips. Results from earlier buildings helped optimize designs for later phases.

Keywords

Tremley Point

Linden New Jersey

warehouses

settlement control

controlled modulus columns

rigid inclusions

geogrid

ground improvement

glacial till

static load tests