- Engineering design
- Contractor/field services
- Deep foundation inspections, load testing, non-destructive integrity testing
- Effectively staffed to meet demanding operations schedule
- Outstanding safety achievement
- Nation’s first LNG export facility
Challenge
GZA already had a trusted working relationship with owner/operator Dominion Transmission and Kiewit at this Maryland site when it was asked to be the Geotechnical Engineer of Record for the IHI/Kiewit Engineer/Procure/Construct (EPC) contract for the terminal’s expansion. The expansion included new buildings, walls, storage tanks, heavy equipment pads, and more.
Solution
GZA’s services during design and construction of the terminal’s deep foundations included:
- Static load testing. GZA determined the original IHI/Kiewit design assumptions were overly conservative and recommended elimination of 40,000 feet of drilled production pile length — leading to a $1.58 million savings.
- QA/QC inspection. GZA provided full-time field inspection and reporting for installation of 4,751 ACP piles and 678 drilled shafts — work which extended over a 12-month time period and often required 24/7 operations.
- Additional field services. GZA performed extensive non-destructive integrity testing for ACP piles and drilled shafts, including Thermal Integrity Testing (TIP) and Cross-Hole Sonic Logging (CSL); installed and monitored settlement platforms; performed continuous vibration monitoring of two existing LNG tanks; performed Dynamic Pile Testing; observed helical pile installation; and provided other geotechnical design support and third-party peer review.
Benefit
GZA demonstrated a wide variety of expertise on this challenging project, responding to unexpected field and design-related challenges with innovative, high-quality, high-value solutions which passed rigorous third-party review from outside consulting firms and government agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and met the client’s schedule and budget needs.