Geotechnical Monitoring for the Replacement of the Chickamauga Lock

Client

US Army Corps of Engineers

Services Provided

Management and evaluation of a complex instrumentation system; access to real-time construction monitoring data; management of automated instrumentation data; safety engineering; development of an early warning system

Construction site with equipment and materials near a large concrete retaining wall, adjacent to water. Text explains Geosyntecs geotechnical monitoring system for worker safety during the Chickamauga Lock replacement.

Location

Tennessee River, Tennessee

Project Practice Areas

Civil Sites

Project Specifics

The Chickamauga Lock is a navigation lock on the Tennessee River, seven miles upstream of Chattanooga. Because the existing 80-year-old 60-foot-by-360-foot lock was no longer suitable for the larger barges now used by the transportation industry, the decision was made to replace the lock with a new 110-foot-by-600-foot lock. The new lock makes barge transport more efficient and solves structural issues caused by the existing concrete aggregate. As part of this project, Geosyntec provided geotechnical monitoring during the replacement, maintaining and operating an automated instrumentation and data-management system. This system was used to enhance worker safety while the lock was being installed to monitor the existing lock during construction and to verify structural performance consistent with design expectations.

Geosyntec Scope of Services

Geosyntec maintained and managed the complex automated and manual geotechnical instrumentation system at the Chickamauga Lock. The instrumentation network included uplift pressure cells, in-place inclinometers, single and nested piezometers, and an automated total station surveying system.

Geosyntec also implemented a real-time monitoring program that provided immediate email and text notification if monitoring deviations triggered an alarm condition. The program reported data through radio and cellular networks to an on-site server. Once collected, data was uploaded, stored, and analyzed in the project’s GIS-enabled Enterprise Database (EDB) that Geosyntec maintains. Real-time geotechnical monitoring data was made available to the project team using a cloud-based platform where data was accessed, presented, and evaluated by construction managers.

Notable Accomplishments

Geosyntec’s solution provided the ability to automatically collect, read, and evaluate geotechnical monitoring data in real time, including on mobile devices. Our monitoring system addressed worker safety considerations as a top priority. If an unexpected situation had triggered an alarm condition, the program would have allowed workers to be notified immediately, so that appropriate actions could be taken in a timely manner. This system also provided real-time data to the owner to confirm the structural performance of the current lock while the new lock was being constructed.

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