Wharf Construction Challenges at the POLB Middle Harbor

At Piers D, E, and F at the Port of Long Beach (POLB), a major redevelopment project was initiated in spring 2011. The project, known as the Middle Harbor Redevelopment, includes demolition of existing wharf facilities, dredge and fill activities, ground improvements, placement of rock dike and construction of wharf structure. To date, approximately 2,800 feet of container wharf has been constructed. When complete, the terminal will include over 4,000 linear feet of newly constructed container wharf at Pier E. This paper is a continuation of a Ports 2013 paper that focused on the structural challenges overcome by the design team during wharf construction. This paper focuses on a pile failure challenge that was not previously presented. During construction of the Stage 2 wharf, an unprecedented and unreasonably high rate of pile failure was observed during pile driving. This pile failure phenomenon led the design team to develop a unique testing and mitigation strategy to permit construction to progress while maintaining the structural integrity, seismic performance and service life of the wharf.