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Customer: Department of Public Works Contract: Construct only Location: American Samoa   |
Fast Facts
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When a devastating earthquake and multiple tsunamis hit the island of Tutuila, the Department of Public Works of American Samoa engaged us to construct a new 390 feet (119m) sea wall at Taputimu, in the southwest of the Island.
To create the shoreline protection, our team first built 318 lineal feet of rock revetment, before constructing the crib wall on top.
The rock revetment consists of 2-3 tonne armor stone units and 300 to 500 lbs underlayer stones. This was placed on nonwoven geotextile, which was placed on compacted backfill with cement rock masonry (CRM) transitions at each end of the crib wall. Four tonne concrete armor units form the toe of the revetment.
Constructing the seawall was a challenging and high-risk assembly job, with each of the massive armor and crib wall units had to be lifted into place individually, with people and plant working in close proximity. With the ever present risk of potential collapse, robust safety procedures were essential for keeping our team safe.
Vigilant environmental management was vital to prevent any damage to the sensitive marine environment. Changing tides, tropical heat and the arrival season of the cyclone season add further challenges.
Working collaboratively with our customer enabled us to actively manage the significant environmental and safety risks inherent in this project and remain on programme. The success of the project is testament to our expertise at managing remote, logistically challenging projects in the Pacific Islands.
