Geotechnical Project Profiles
Panacea Mixed-use Development, ongoing
City of North Port, Florida
… big site, difficult access and no problem.
To date, Dunkelberger has completed due diligence level through design level geotechnical studies pertaining to proposed single-family and multi-family residential structures, internal roadway, stormwater management (borrow) lakes, and utility piping/structures. Our all terrain, "mud bug" drilling rig was able to efficiently traverse the 2,000 acres of raw, dense pinewoods, alot of which contained standing water at the time of our fieldwork.
Grand Bay IV Condominium, 2004
Longboat Key, Florida
… a sinking condition is corrected.
Dunkelberger provided services for the 10-story condominium that encompassed chemical grout stabilization of loose fill soils beneath the hardscape (i.e. concrete drive and entryway). The hardscape of the structure was built on loose fill soils and the building itself was constructed on piles resulting in more than normal differential settlement between the hardscape and the building. The soils beneath the hardscape were chemically grout stabilized to prevent any future settlement, while the existing hardscape received cosmetic repairs.
Manatee Avenue Improvements, 2003
City of Bradenton, Florida
… working at night for safety and client convenience.
The project consisted of pavement coring at night and evaluation services leading to “mill and overlay” design option for an existing, urban highway (S.R. 64) through downtown Bradenton. Dunkelberger provided subsurface exploration and pavement evaluation of the existing roadway on a lump sum fee basis. The firm also provided recommendations for pavement overlay to reduce roadway improvement costs.
C-43 West Storage Reservoir, currently in design phase
Hendry County, Florida
… detailed design for a major impoundment.
The C-43 West Storage Reservoir project is designed to regulate flows along the Caloosahatchee River (i.e. the C-43 Canal) in order to protect the downstream coastal estuaries from the effects of high fresh water discharges from Lake Okeechobee, and to limit the potential for salt water intrusion during periods of drought or low flows in the C-43 Canal. The reservoir is to have a nominal water storage capacity of 170,000 acre-feet, all of which will be above ground. A perimeter earthen dam will be constructed to contain the water. Dunkelberger is currently completing subsurface exploration, laboratory testing, and geotechnical engineering analysis and design for the perimeter dam. The design considerations include embankment global stability and settlement, seepage through and below the embankment, slope protection, and structure foundations.
Las Olas Grand, 2004
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
… tall buildings on strong foundations.
Dunkelberger performed a comprehensive geotechnical investigation for the project whose principal components included a multi-story residential tower (32 stories) and a seven-level parking garage for tenant vehicles. The firm provided additional services including pile load testing and oversight of pile installation, concrete testing, and threshold inspection for the slightly concave-shaped rectangular structure.
The Lucerne
Lake Worth, Florida
… building carefully in an urban area.
The study that was undertaken included exploration of subsurface conditions of the site using engineering borings, assessment of the geotechnical suitability of the site for the planned construction and development of recommendations for foundation design and related construction for the six-story residential building that includes four levels of apartments over two levels of garage. Design and construction of building foundations required very careful consideration of the proximity of the existing City of Lake Worth Library, which was identified as a building of historical significance. The lateral separation between the existing and new structures is approximately four feet. Ground improvement methods considered for the new building must in no way effect the performance of the library building. This was accomplished through a combination of compaction grouting and vibro-compaction.
Kings Highway (58th Avenue) Widening,
2003
Indian River County, Florida
… overcoming difficult subsoil conditions.
The project involved the widening of the existing Kings Highway from a two-lane roadway to a four-lane divided highway (approximately four miles), and the replacement of eight bridge structures as well as the construction of multiple stormwater attenuation ponds. A critical aspect of the design was the selection of a roadway embankment section that could overcome the difficult subsoil conditions, which included soft, organic soil deposits. Dunkelberger completed a subsurface study involving the performance of engineering test borings, and provided geotechnical design recommendations for the design and construction of the roadway, bridges, and drainage improvements. The firm also developed a cost-effective roadway embankment design utilizing a combination of select fill soils and geosynthetic reinforcement to overcome the problem soil conditions.
Scripps Newspaper Production Facility,
2005
St. Lucie County, Florida
… a “dynamic” foundation design.
The project involved design and construction of a new, state-of-the-art printing facility for Scripps Howard. Dunkelberger conducted subsurface exploration using engineering borings, cone penetrometer soundings, and specialized geophysical equipment to design the specialized press foundation (i.e. dynamic loading conditions). Dunkelberger developed a cost-effective dynamic load test program to maximize the performance of the augercast pile foundation for the press foundation, and performed construction materials testing and inspection for the project.
Indian River Drive, 2006
St. Lucie County, Florida
… "around-the-clock" services.
The project involved emergency design and reconstruction/armoring of about 14 miles of roadway embankment along the Indian River in St. Lucie County. The existing embankment and portions of Indian River Drive were severely damaged by Hurricanes Francis and Jeanne. The FDOT undertook an emergency design to rebuild the embankment and armor it for protection against future storms. The project had to be built within 180 days to ensure 100% reimbursement from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The work was performed by three separate contractors and was done mostly on private property as the County only owns a very narrow right-of-way along the roadway. Dunkelberger provided construction testing, inspection and management for the project.
