DFI Outstanding Project Nominations Form Project Name; Sorinquen Dam - Pacific Access Channel PACA Nominator®: 28 Mes Wiehage / David Maedgen / Dennis Russell Javier Ferrer LB Foster Piling / Gerdau Ameristee! / Goettle / ICONSA Organization**: ‘Address; 130 Satelite Bivd NE, Suite A City: Suwanee State/Prov: SA —_ postal Code:_ 30024 Country;_USA Tel: 878-714-6730 Fax: 878-714-6773 E-mail; RMorales@LEFoster.com * Nominator must be DFI Member In good standing, “Tyne of Organization: X Contractor ClEngineering —_X Materials/Equipment Supplier Uiservices Provider Other: a Project Owner: ACP Panama Canal Authority Project Engineer; ACP Panama Canal Authority Project Gc: Richard GoettlevICONSA JV Foundation Engineer; _ Richard GoettleriCONSA JV Foundation Constructor(s): Richard GoettleCONSA JV#5 BORINQUEN DAM PACIFIC ACCESS CHANNEL - PAC4 Client & Engineer: ACP Panama Canal Authority Contractor: Richard Goettle/ICONSA JV Project Dates: July 2009 - April 2011 Project Value: ‘$45,000,000 (USD) ‘THE PROJECT ‘The Panama Canal expansion’s $5.38 investment for new state-of-the-art locks, wider channels and deepening of the existing waterway will provide access for ultra-large intermodal ships to travel directly from Asia to the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. This monumental cofferdam project includes the construction of 58 closed cells with connecting ares and 1,500 foot long Z-cutoff wall for the Borinquen Dam, The sheet piling was installed as a toe for the dam that will elevate and separate the new Pacific Access Channel from the existing Canal. The water level of the new channel will be 32 feet ‘above the current Canal channel at Lake Miraflores. This lake is located between the Miraflores locks and the Pedro Miguel Locks. The challenges of this extraordinary project were met with innovative solutions that raise it to the prestigious level of DFI Outstanding Project of the Year. INNOVATIVE MATERIAL The project began with the solicitation tender for a technical and cost proposal covering 1,800 meters (5,906 feet} of flat ‘and 2 sheet piling for the Borinquen Cofferdam (1,500’ long Z-wall and 4,406" long cellular cofferdam. PS 31 fiat sheets. and PZC™ 26 Z-type sheet piling were manufactured by Gerdau Ameristeel specifically for this project and purchased directly by the ACP to minimize project lead time. Approximately 17,000 tons of sheet piling was delivered on time. The PS 31 flat sheets were manufactured in lengths 56 to 69 feet and the PZC 26 Z sheet piling was produced in 49 foot lengths. The project called for exceptionally high interlock strength on the PS flat sheets (31.6 kips per inch or 5,500 kN per meter). Gerdau Ameristeel produced the material in ASTM A572 Grade 65 and was able to provide the strongest interlock commercially available. The PZC Z-type ball and socket interlock sheet piling are domestically rolled to be wider, lighter and stronger than traditional Z piling. A total of 10,335 steel sheets were produced at facilities in Petersburg, VA. and Midlothian, TX. TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY Project challenges included restrictions regarding importation of wood dunnage to meet USDA and Panamanian phytosanitary certificates certifying compliance of all imported wood. The cofferdam required several alignment ‘geometrics for transitional arcs to be oriented precisely for proper configuration and installation of the 58 cells, 24 of these project cells measured 21.64 meters (71 feet) in diameter and 34 of these project cells measured 17.83 meters (68.5 feet) in diameter. Specific survey data was required to ensure that the cells would tie-in effectively during construction. Detailed shop drawings were provided by L.B. Foster's engineering department indicating specific connection details to facilitate installation, L.8. Foster provided critical technical calculations for the strength requirements of the 229 fabricated connectors to comply with AISC and AWS Codes and provided the required weld capacity to ensure proper connection of main cell sheets to the interconnecting arcs utilizing PilePro® SWC Weld-On and WOM Connectors. LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES ‘Many logistical challenges were met to ensure on site engineering, handling and for the successful delivery of 9,647 PS 32 flat sheets up to 21 meters and 688 PZC 26 Z sheet piling to the Panama Canal Authority (ACP). The Direct Purchase ‘Agreement Delivery required systematic coordination of 220 flatbed trucks, 161 rail cars and 4ea ~ 4000 ton ocean transports from steel mill in the United States to the Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) in Colon, Panama which is located on the Atlantic coast and delivered by ICONSA on-time through customs to the Pedro Miguel Locks on the ‘country's Pacific side. ON-TIME DELIVERY ‘The final steel sheet piles were delivered and placed by L.B, Foster at the ACP storage yard ahead of schedule on February 47, 2010.COFFERDAM CONSTRUCTION ‘The 50/50 Joint Venture of Richard Goettle, Inc. and Ingenieria Continental, S.A. (\CONSA) were selected as the pile driving contractor by the PAC: Goettle’s major responsibilities included: ‘© Furnishing of templates, ‘© Installation of 20 each 71’ diameter marine cells with connecting arcs, ‘© Installation of 20 each $9 diameter marine cells with connecting arcs. ICONSA’s major responsibilities included! ‘Installation of four each 71’ diameter land cells with connecting arcs, ‘+ Installation of five each 59° diameter land cells with connecting arcs, ‘© Installation of nine each 59° diameter marine cells with connecting arcs, ‘© Installation of all General Contractor furnished cell ill, ‘© Installation of 1500’ of straight Z-wall, ‘= Transport of all sheets from the sheet storage area to the project work area, ‘+ Installation of any Owner required under water-placed concrete. SCHEDULE The first challenge to overcome was to meet the ACP's mandatory milestone for cofferdam completion in only 37 weeks ~ after mobilization ~ to construct the $8 cells with their respective connecting arcs and the 1,500’ PZC wall. To meet this schedule the JV set-up to work on six independent sheet pile installation crews, as well as the additional crews required for handling the supply of sheet piling to each crew and the return of cut-offs to the stock pile area, and three independent crews for supplying and filing the cells with 250,000 m3 of crushed rock. Three crews worked from barges ‘on the 49 water cells, two crews worked on the nine land cells, and one crew worked on the PZC wall. Additional crews ‘worked night shifts to cut-off the driven sheets, supply new sheets to barges, and to set, vibrate & impact piling to refusal RESOURCES ‘The second challenge was to procure the labor and equipment with the required qualifications and in sufficient quantity to satisfy the project demands. ‘The project employed an average of 120 workers, most of them skilled in specialty trades such as marine construction, rigging and pile driving, and many required formal certification ~ all equipment and crane operators, pile drivers and welders had to be certified - at a time when Panama's construction market is experiencing full employment. Most of Goettle’s equipment required mobilization to the job site by a two-barge fleet. Sets of equipment and support materials for two complete floating marine pile driving crews were assembled in New Orleans. Goettle’s two-barge fleet ‘was pulled by a dedicated ocean tow to Colon, ACP tugs transited the fleet to the project work site at Lake Miraflores on the west bank of the canal, Major equipment and their respective vendors included ‘Two ABS barges from McDonough Marine Services, Inc ‘Two cranes from Maxim Crane Works Inc, Five vibratory hammers from International Construction Equipment (ICE) and Goettle Equipment Company, Five impact hammers from Hammer and Steel, Inc., Three cofferdam templates from C & C Marine and Repair of New Orleans Three cofferdam templates from Buck Kreihs, In. of New OrleansCULTURE, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ENVIRONMENT ‘The third challenge to overcome, even before the first pile was driven, was to establish and maintain good rapport and effective channels of communication between staff with different languages, nationalities, organizational cultures and ‘work philosophies, Two languages (Spanish and English) and six nationalities (Panama, United States, Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Cuba) were represented in the six organizations that were Involved in this project ~ the Owner, the three partners of the PACA Joint Venture and two partners on the cofferdam subcontract. ‘The rainy season in Panama occurs from April through December. Especially intense rains occur October to December. ‘Average rainfall in the area is 200 inches per year. Delays due to rain and lightning were extensive. SAFETY The occupational health and safety of all the parties involved in this project was front and center of all planning and operations. A three-part team consisting of ACP’s Safety Director, the PACA JV Safety Manager and Safety Officers, and the cofferdam subcontractor’s Safety Officers oversaw and scrutinized all aspects regarding the safety of people, equipment, and operations, and maintained a full-time presence in the field ensuring ZERO accidents on this project. CONSTRUCTION OF COFFERDAMS The nine cofferdams on land were constructed using 2 template consisting of a stick-built steel frame. The risk of encountering artificial obstructions buried along the alignment of the land cofferdams was mitigated by pre-excavation to several meters below ground level, This preventive measure paid off, as a significant quantity of artifacts such as rail, rallway accessories and other construction debris dating from the construction of the Panama Canal 100 years ago were dug out The 49 cofferdams on water were constructed using floating templates spudded onto location. The sheet piling in cells were installed in three stages: First, the sheets were driven using hydraulic vibratory hammers to penetrate the ‘overburden; then hydraulic impact hammers were used to drive the sheets to refusal at the energy and blow count specified in the Contract. The piling in the land cells achieved the refusal criteria before reaching the tip elevation requirements. A Change Order was issued to drive the sheets with a larger, single-action diesel hammer to a new energy ‘and blow count criteria to achieve greater penetration. The Owner required complete pile instalation records. A total of 19,647 sheets were driven to refusal with blow counts and cutoff lengths recorded. ‘CELL FILL ‘AIL 49 cofferdams on the water had to be filled with granular material, consisting of rock from the ongoing canal excavation which was blasted, crushed and screened to the gradation required by the Specifications. The crushed rock was stockpiled at two strategic locations within the jobsite. The cell fil was trucked over two temporary trestles that spanned the gap from the lake's shore to the cofferdams, and then over the previously-illed cells to reach the cell being filled. Here the rock was fed to 100’ long conveyors to place the fill in the center of the cell. The Contract called for checking, after each cell was driven to the design criteria and after acceptance by the Engineer, that no significant sedimentation or unsuitable material existed within the cells before placing cell fil. The contractor used clamshells to extract soil samples for testing by the ACP’s Geotechnical Engineer. Cell fil placement began after the Engineer accepted the soil material located at the bottom of the cell. Cell fill proceeded in two stages: First, the cell was filled until the fil material reached the bottom of the template. This partial fil provided sufficient stability to the cell to allow removal of the template. When the template was removed, the cell fil was completed to the design elevation. UNDERWATER CONCRETE ‘The specifications called for the use of underwater-placed concrete to level the surface under the rock fill wherever directed by the project Owner. Placed concrete was directed to cover the entire area of the cofferdam. A special treme concrete mix was developed for this project to meet strict strength, flow and anti-washout properties. The planned procedure involved the use of 100! telescopic boom concrete pumps with multiple tremie discharge pipes arranged in a pattern to cover the area of the cofferdam, Before concrete was placed, divers inspected the perimeter of the cell to ‘check for windows and installed sand bags to prevent the fresh concrete from seeping out of the cell