Super Jet Grouting Repairs and Extends the Life of Ailing Coastal Front Structure

The original construction of the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station (CCNAS) in Corpus Christi, Texas included a protected tarmac landing area for seaplanes used during World War II. This tarmac, which included ramps for the seaplanes to come from the sea, was constructed with a seawall as its protection against coastal storms. The seawall spans approximately 3 Km (10,000 feet) of sea front, and original construction included sea ramps along its length. Today, the seawall is limited in use and serves only as a storm front to combat the possibility of erosion to the remaining barracks that now house the Navy's helicopter fleets. There are some 7 barracks and one active taxiway located within the northern 1.4 Km (4,700 feet) of the bulkhead known as the Helicopter Operations Area. The remaining 1.3 Km (4,200 feet) of the bulkhead to the south protects the area behind the wall and offers public fishing. Recently the bulkhead has undergone excessive movements and rotation outward towards the sea affecting over 427 m (1,400 feet) of the northern half. This movement stimulated the investigation of the anchoring system and included repair recommendations for the two failed areas. These recommendations included the restriction of all traffic within 12.2 m (40 feet) of the wall and complete reconstruction of the 426.7 m (1,400 lineal feet) of wall using conventional coastal front construction techniques. Budgets for the conventional reconstruction of these 426.7 m (1,400 lineal feet) of bulkhead exceeded the Navy's budget, thus leading the Navy to search for an alternate stabilizing technique. This paper presents that alternate stabilizing technique, which utilized Super Jet Grouting to effectively and economically stabilize the Northern portion of the seawall bulkhead.