Two Miles of Anchored Bulkhead Supports Howard Frankland Bridge Megaproject-Video

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Casey Shanahan of Keller presents the design and installation of roughly 1,250 ground anchors supporting two miles of bulkhead for the Howard Franklin Bridge project in Tampa Bay. The anchors, designed by Keller using reactions from the bridge engineer, support sheet-pile and combi-wall sections on the Pinellas and Hillsborough sides.<br /><br />Key challenges included working from barges in tidal waters, scheduling welding and lengthy anchor tests around tides and storms, and coordinating around protected birds. To avoid conflicts with piles and other obstructions, the team modeled anchors in 3D and adjusted their vertical and horizontal angles, achieving conflict-free installation. Highly variable limestone led to major differences in anchor lengths—even 95 feet between adjacent anchors—so extra-long anchors were kept available. The team also accounted for settlement-induced anchor loads from up to 20 feet of fill, which could require changes to strand counts and connection details. Connections were designed to fit within tight wall and concrete-cap constraints.

Keywords

Howard Franklin Bridge

ground anchors

bulkhead installation

tidal water construction

3D anchor modeling

limestone variability