Massman built this project to replace and enlarge the aging regional mooring facility for the US Army Corps of Engineers Service Base in downtown St. Louis. The existing timber pile mooring clusters were decomposing and had become unsuitable for securing barges. In addition, decades of fluctuating river elevations had deposited drifted debris for hundreds of yards along the river bank so the existing 1,100 feet of riverfront area was no longer sufficient to store all of the equipment used by the Corps.

The initial demolition work included the removal and disposal of 14 timber pile clusters and four pipe pile dolphins, as well as the drift and debris along the river bank. Next, the existing timber trestle was extended by installing eight new pipe piles that were socketed into rock. Along with the new piling, additional structural steel and concrete decking were placed to complete a 45-foot extension to the trestle.

Twenty-two heavy duty pipe pile tripods were installed by drilling (up to 20 feet) into existing rock, grouting each socket, and placing concrete on the top of the piling. The original design called for 5-foot sockets with rock anchors extending 33 feet below the sockets. During the project, we value-engineered the design by increasing the depth of the sockets and eliminating the rock anchors, saving considerable time on the project. The tripods were completed by welding bracing and cap plates at the top of each tripod.

To complete the project, we installed 28 dock barges following tripod installation. Each barge was secured with a capture frame that encircled the vertical pile on each of the tripods. A water supply system and electrical system were then installed along the trestle and the dock barges.