PROJECT OVERVIEW
Phoenix Project #2119
Phoenix’s work on this project consisted of 131 drilled micropiles (“DMPs”) and several load tests. DMPs on this project were installed with 2 different diameters depending on size and purpose. The larger foundation piles were installed in the shadow of a soil nail wall (by others), the smaller piles were installed along the tracks themselves in the railway area. The piles along the tracks were to support the addition of a new platform installed to allow simultaneous loading of two trains. Phoenix takes safety seriously on every job but on any railway job we take extra steps to work with the right-of-way flaggers to ensure our crew is protected from the trains and that our work doesn’t impact the rail network in any way.
Pile installation occurred across multiple locations on site and required low headroom solutions for a portion of the piles. The low headroom portion was due to the I-290 overpass that exists over the tracks. Piles were also installed well below grade to support a new structure to aid in providing ADA access to the passenger station platform as well as other electrical/communication services required by the MBTA.
Geotechnical challenges on the site included drilling and bonding micropiles into sand. As piles included an uncased portion, each pile had casing that was removed after grouting had begun to create a substantial bond zone. Sands can bind or grip casing as you attempt to move it either into or out of the ground so we employed the aid of a borehole stabilizer to reduce friction between the drill casing and the surrounding soils.
