Case Histories of Harbor Developments in Weak Soils

The development of marine shipping terminals at sites underlain by weak and compressible soils requires consideration of the seismic stability of marginal wharves, and the large magnitude of settlements which occur when fill is placed. The Pier J facility in Long Beach was developed by placing hydraulic fill in lifts with each lift being retained by a rock dike. The Army Street Terminal in San Francisco was developed by excavating bay mud around its perimeter to permit the placing of a sand dike keyed into firm underlying soils. The LASH Terminal in San Francisco was constructed in an area where the bay mud spoil from the Army Street Terminal had been placed and subsequently covered with debris fill. The performance of these facilities has been satisfactory even though they are located in areas of weak and compressible soils.