Sheetpile Bulkhead Failure Investigation in Savannah, Georgia-Video

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A bulkhead and plaza at Savannah’s Hutchinson Island ferry landing began cracking and moving in June 2020, then continued to deform over two weeks. The movement damaged a ticket booth, walkway, and floating dock, prompting officials to close the ferry and assess nearby buildings. Engineers concluded the convention center and hotel were safe, but the walkway and ferry operation were not. Temporary steel bracing helped prevent the bulkhead from collapsing into the river.<br /><br />Although a magnitude 3.9 earthquake had occurred about 75 miles away four hours earlier, engineers judged it too small to have caused the failure. The likely contributors were very soft clay trapped beneath the site and failing helical anchors, which were poorly suited to the soil and loading conditions. The failure was structural rather than a global slope-stability problem. Repairs involved installing a replacement bulkhead, driven H-piles, new anchors, and a supported platform.

Keywords

bulkhead failure

Savannah ferry landing

Hutchinson Island

soft clay soil

helical anchors

bulkhead repairs