Arcosa Lightweight Aggregate Used to Create Vital Port Space
Key Insights:
Quick Facts:
- Name: Port Fourchon Northern Expansion, Slip D
- Location: Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
- Client: Greater Lafourche Port Commission
- Size: 300 acres of land, 10,000 linear feet of waterfront
Challenge: Expanding vital port infrastructure to accommodate larger vessels required innovative materials to address geotechnical challenges such as high lateral and vertical loads on the sheet pilings.
How Arcosa Helped
- Our Solution: Arcosa’s lightweight aggregate was selected to reduce lateral and vertical loads, offering significant advantages in stability and cost-efficiency.
- Why Lightweight Works: The lightweight material provided structural integrity while reducing the depth of sheet piles needed, saving costs and materials.
Final Results
- Slip D was designed and constructed to meet the increasing demand for larger offshore vessels. It adds over 300 acres of developed property and over 10,000 feet of new waterfront. The project is part of the ongoing Northern Expansion at Port Fourchon.
Key Quote
“Slip D was designed to accommodate larger vessels, addressing the need for longer and wider slips compared to the older B and C facilities,” says Bill Wolfe.
Context:
- Considerations: The use of lightweight aggregate helps reduce construction and long-term maintenance costs by limiting the depth to which sheet pilings need to be driven.
- Lesson to Learn: Arcosa’s lightweight aggregate is a proven solution for large-scale maritime projects where reducing pressure on infrastructure is key.
Explore Further
Contact our team today to learn how we can help you reduce construction costs, enhance structural integrity, and meet the demands of your project’s geotechnical challenges.
Arcosa Lightweight Aggregate Used to Create Vital Port Space
Arcosa Lightweight is frequently used in expansion projects that create vital port space along the southern tip of Louisiana. The most recent expansion project at Port Fourchon, located in Lafourche Parish, created 300 new acres for development and added an additional 10,000 linear feet of waterfront.
This vital port serves as a land base for almost all offshore oil platforms and drilling rigs positioned in the Gulf of Mexico and acts as a foreign cargo shipping terminal. Arcosa’s lightweight aggregate material was used to build new slips that are a thousand feet wide and nearly 4,000 feet long.
Economical Land Creation
For decades, lightweight aggregate has been used as backfill to create usable land at the seaport. Some 700 acres of land have been created over the years through similar projects. “It’s really very simple,” says Bill Wolfe of Arcosa Lightweight. “Our expanded clay lightweight aggregate is more dependable and more economical for land creation, and it’s the material of choice for projects like this.”
Wolfe highlights the numerous structural and economic advantages of lightweight aggregate, noting its ability to help lower both initial construction and long-term costs.
“The heavier the weight of the fill, the deeper the sheet piling has to be driven to prevent toe failure. Deeper sheet piling means more steel will be needed to complete the project,” Wolfe explains. “Using our product significantly decreases the depth to which the sheet piles must be driven and reduces the chances of failure.”
Latest Project Developments
According to the latest information from the Greater Lafourche Port Commission, the Slip D development is part of the Northern Expansion project, adding 300 acres of developed property and over 10,000 linear feet of waterfront to Port Fourchon. This slip was specifically designed to accommodate larger offshore supply vessels. Although full build-out is expected to take several more years, major dredging and infrastructure work has already been completed.
Besides being a vital link to oil production, Port Fourchon also serves commercial fishermen, foreign cargo shipping enterprises, and offers a unique area for recreation and tourism.
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