Massive steel test piles.
THE FIRST TEST PILES ARRIVE IN BALTIMORE
In the spring, fabrication began on hundreds of steel piles for the test pile program. The fabrication is taking place at special facilities in Texas and Louisiana that can accommo- date the large pile size of eight feet in diameter, 220 feet long, and 1.5 to 2 inches thick. The steel piles are used for the bridge’s cable-stayed spans and pier protection. In August, massive, American-made steel pieces arrived in Baltimore to start creating the load test frame. The frame weighs about 550,000 pounds and goes on top of the piles for load testing. Six steel test piles arrived by barge to the Key Bridge con- struction site in late September. Crews first installed a bubble curtain around each pile. The curtain consists of several per- forated rings that release compressed air as the pile is driven. This system helps protect marine life in the river. Next, crews lifted each test pile into position with the Weeks 533 Crane, the largest rotating crane-barge on the East Coast. The crane operator then placed each pile into a tem- plate and stabilized it with a vibratory hammer.
Test pile fabrication.
TEST PILE DRIVING BEGINS Crews drove the first test piles into the riverbed in early October, using a hydraulic impact hammer, which weighs 145 tons and is more than 50-feet-tall. “They are pulling water out of the river and they are dis- charging it back and they are utilizing that water to cool the hammer,” said MDTA Deputy Director of Project Develop- ment Jason Stolicny.
14 MARYLAND TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY 2025 ANNUAL REPORT
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