Optimizing the Design and Implementation of Ground Improvement for a 241-Acre Warehouse Development

A 241-acre site development was planned in an area known as Tremley Point in Linden, New Jersey. The plan was to build eight large warehouses and access roads to the site and within the site. Ground improvement was required due to the presence of variable and compressible soil. In addition to soil variability, the existing grading and past loading history of the site varied considerably. Surcharging, deep dynamic compaction, and rigid inclusions (RIs) were used to minimize long-term settlement to meet the project criteria of 2 in. Additionally, roadway embankments adjacent to a newly constructed bridge, which required up to 26 ft of fill to be placed on marshland, were also supported on rigid inclusions. This paper will provide an overview of the support provided, the variables controlling the designs, a summary of the load test data, and a discussion of how that data was used to optimize the RI design. Menard’s proprietary name for RIs is Controlled Modulus Column (CMC), which is how we will refer to the RIs throughout this paper.