Large diameter piles (2 to 3 m diameter, both driven and drilled) are being used
more frequently by designers of bridge foundations. The use of these large piles
allows the pile cap to be positioned off the bottom but usually still below water.
Conventional cofferdams as shown in Figure 1 below are not suited to this type
of pile cap. However, float-in cofferdams offer a viable alternative. This paper
describes the float-in cofferdam system, its initial development for use on the
Bath-Woolwich Bridge in Maine and its most recent application on the new
Carquinez Bridge in California.
Author: Robert B. Bittner, Ben C. Gerwick, Inc.
Publisher: DFI