FPV02 DOW Barge Canal Navigation Gate
SALIENT FEATURES
Coastal Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction
Vertical Lift Gate
Foundation Design
Bridge Retrofit
Steel and Concrete Design
Alternative Analysis
$14.2M Net Savings
Construction Cost: $215M+
CLIENT
US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Galveston District
LOCATION:
Freeport, Texas
BACKGROUND
The Freeport and Vicinity CSRM project is located at the coastal plains of the southern Brazoria County, about 48 miles southwest of Galveston, Texas. The existing system protects multiple chemical plants, in addition to the cities of Freeport and Oyster Creek. In 2019, it was predicted that up to $3B of estimated damage would occur if the system were to fail. Therefore, USACE SWG initiated flood protection system upgrade at the Freeport and Vicinity to minimize potential damage to existing infrastructure.
PROJECT FEATURE
In Phase 1, levees, floodwalls, a pump station, an overflow structure, and a sector gate were designed. When the value engineering study was completed, a recommendation was made to investigate a vertical lift gate (VLG) as an alternative to the sector gate across Dow Barge Canal. Following the acceptance of the VLG alternative, a preliminary design for the vertical lift gate was completed.
infraTECH worked on the structural design for the alternate vertical lift gate concept design, drafting the design memo, and collaborating with the estimator to determine the probable cost of construction. The conceptual VLG design had an estimated cost savings of $14M when compared to the sector gate option. In addition to the cost savings, the maintenance procedures for the proposed VLG were similar to that of the nearby Velasco Memorial Tidal Gate and therefore, local sponsor preferred VLG over sector gate.
RELEVANT SERVICES
infraTECH as a teaming partner to AECOM - HDR JV performed alternate hydraulic gate study, cost comparison, designed vertical lift gate and deep foundation and assisted in development of design-build RFP package for the project.
"infraTECH met the expectations of the Government with providing the Thirty-Five Percent design of the Lift Gate for S2G Freeport for a Design Build RFP, this project was a very complex design in an area with a lot of unknown issues. They made sure to be available to participate in several conferences with potential Design Build Contractors to answer any technical questions. I would recommend them for similar requirements in the future."
Eduardo Irigoyen
Project Manager, USACE Galveston District