Implementing technology can be complicated enough without considering the importance of ensuring that ongoing operations of port facilities proceed without disruption. With its Talleyrand Marine Terminal Berth 3 rehabilitation project, the Jacksonville Port Authority responded to this dual challenge, deploying an innovative technical solution while maintaining movement of vessels and the automobiles they import at a busy roll-on/roll-off berth.
The JAXPORT project began after an unusually intensive storm season had accelerated deterioration of the bulkhead to the point of safety risk and need for immediate replacement at Berth 3 -- a facility counted upon by longtime port tenant Southeast Toyota Distributors LLC as a hub for vehicle import operations.
Consulting engineering firm Halcrow Inc. was commissioned to develop a replacement for the sinkhole-riddled, 40-year-old berth while maintaining the berthline and allowing continued safe use of the facility. This was innovatively accomplished by building a new structure above the old berth by making use of the existing vertical concrete pile and existing relieving platform. Work was scheduled to proceed in phases that allowed significant portions of the berth area -- determined by analysis of vessel lengths and ramp locations -- to stay capable of handling car-carrying ship traffic at all times in the 12-month work schedule.
By maximizing use of the old structure, the cost of the project was reduced and two months were shaved from the construction timetable that would have been required had demolition of the existing structure been called for -- all at the same time as disruption was minimized. Also, because the aerial footprint of the new structure matched that of the old structure, the need for an extensive and potentially time-consuming permitting process was eliminated, and the alignment of the new berth face with adjacent berths allowed fendering systems to match throughout the entire 173-acre terminal facility.
Even with the encountering of some unexpected ground conditions and a rise at the time of construction costs, the project was completed within the $10 million budget. With consulting engineers, JAXPORT staff, Southeast Toyota personnel, Jacksonville-based contractor Hal Jones Contractor Inc. and others all working together, the Talleyrand terminal saw the projected life of the entire 700-foot-long berth cost-effectively extended by 50 years, and Southeast Toyota didn't miss a beat in importing cars. The efforts also attracted the attention of judges in the 2008 American Association of Port Authorities facilities engineering awards competition, who selected JAXPORT to receive winning recognition at last year's AAPA convention in Anchorage, Alaska.
"Through innovative design, careful consideration of construction sequence, cooperation of our operations staff and trust of our tenant, we successfully rehabilitated an entire berth without disrupting the daily operations of our tenant," said Rick Ferrin, JAXPORT's chief executive officer.
