Fixing heavily deteriorated embankment washouts due to extreme weather in South Florida which had significant safety concerns for the community!
The problem:
The client was facing extreme deterioration of numerous embankments due to washouts and advanced soil erosion. This issue needed to be handled as soon as possible as additional time could have made the embankments fail in the event of further heavy rain or flooding. Our client needed to hire a geotechnical engineer to conduct soil borings and develop design documents, and then hire a contractor that can effectively construct the repairs.
The process and solution:
TEC completed a site investigation to analyze the situation and complete field measurements, then designed the project within 5 days using knowledge of stormwater and erosion control best management practices (BMP’s).
TEC then developed a bid package for this project – this document included schedule of values, construction documents such as BMP details, scope of work by line items, and the labor and material requirements to get the repairs completed.
Additionally, TEC developed a community notice to make the residents and businesses in the area aware of the situation, which included scheduling of the upcoming construction.
Next, TEC sent the project out to bid with an RFP to qualified contractors to construct the repairs of the embankment washouts.
TEC received and evaluated the bids on behalf of our client, and then upon selection of the contractor, TEC proceeded to closely monitor the construction performance by the contractor to ensure that it was completed per the schedule of values previously developed, standards specifications and construction documents.
Along the way, TEC documented the construction progress by completing construction reports with photographic records.
The win:
Construction for this project was completed successfully to design plans within 5 weeks of client notification, which saved considerable time compared to their normal project schedule of 8-12 weeks.
Additional savings:
Part of the recommended solutions included BMP’s such as pinning the slope using a geofabric and installing riprap at the bottom of the slope, for many years of erosion control and bank protection.
Due to the expeditious nature of the solutions, and not needing to hire a geotechnical engineer, the client saved considerable amounts of time on their schedule and an estimated $50,000 with TEC delivering solutions.
Value added:
The client had photos showing extreme deterioration of embankment slopes that had late-stage erosion and washouts from years of weather effects. This project serves as a good example of value added to the project as the turnaround time from request to completion with construction was 5 weeks and our client was extremely happy with the outcome which improved safety of their community and preservation of their natural resources.
