Jeannette Elliott Manufacturing Facility
Project Details:
Owner: Elliott Group
General Contractor: Walbridge Corporation
Duration of Work: 16 weeks
Subsurface Conditions: Soil with the presence of contaminants, old foundations, brick, and steel from the demolished glass plant and large boulders.
Approximate Key Quantities: 758 stone columns
Project Overview:
Ground Conditions:
The brownfield site contained problematic soils due to the presence of contaminants, old foundations, brick, and steel from the demolished glass plant and large boulders. Because of the variability of the site soils, Menard USA was contracted to provide ground improvement for six buildings, a flare stack, pipe rack, tank farm, switch gear foundation, and transformer pads – the selected technique was stone columns. Menard worked closely with the general contractor during the removal of the large obstructions in locations where stone columns could not be installed.
Solution:
The project was done in multiple phases. Menard’s initial mobilization in March 2020 was interrupted due to Pennsylvania’s stop-work mandate for “non-essential” construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Menard remobilized six weeks later when the order was lifted to complete phase 1 in May of 2020 and completed the stone columns for all structures except for the “Test Building.” The “Test Building” had two large test pits that needed to be constructed prior to stone column installation. Menard mobilized a third time for Phase 2 in July of 2020 to complete the final “Test Building.” Additional stone columns were added in the tank farm area for future tanks.
Micropiles and caissons were initially considered for ground improvement. However, Menard offered a more economical and time-saving solution with the stone columns. Menard installed 758 stone columns to an average depth of 17 ft. The foundations and slabs for the buildings and other structures were designed for a bearing stress of 3-4 KSF beneath all structures, while the design provided for 1 in of post-construction settlement with less than a ½-in of differential settlement, meeting the performance criteria for the project. Despite facing several challenges at the former site of a glass factory, Menard installed stone columns to support 11 structures at the Cryodynamic Products testing facility in Jeannette.
