Transforming an old storage warehouse into an efficient container ship berth and offloading space required significant structural upgrades and new installations, including a 30-ft-wide concrete deck spanning 1,100 ft, a 1,100-ft-long, 175-lb crane rail system, a continuous fender system spanning 1,100 ft and 225 new precast concrete piles. Other work included new 18-in. paving, a fire water system, marine bollards and power vaults for the four new incoming cranes.

Photo by Orion

In addition to navigating a 12-acre site, the team also had to contend with the Mississippi River’s seasonal changes and active port traffic. To navigate the busy port waterway and existing dock conditions that made access difficult, the project team used barges and overhang buggies to do extensive work underneath the dock.

Nashville Avenue Terminal has three wharves, and two always had to remain operational throughout construction.

Photo by Orion

With the four STS gantry cranes scheduled to arrive from China in December 2021, one of the early phases of this project required the contractor to ensure a suitable staging area for the cranes to be offloaded and commissioned.

No personal vehicles were allowed on site, so the team managed the daily transportation of more than 100 direct employees and subcontractors daily. Rigorous work planning, weekly operational reviews, three-week look ahead schedules and consistent team communications were critical to maintain the project schedule.

Photo by Orion

During pile-driving, crews identified structural damage to the dock’s steel and concrete piles that required immediate under-deck repairs. However, the under-dock area was difficult to access, and work was constantly disrupted by waves from passing vessels. For this reason, rotating crews of divers and spotters spent alternating weekends completing the under-dock repairs to several steel and concrete piles.

Extreme weather conditions affected the project as well, from Hurricane Ida in 2021 to several storms during the 2020 season as well as the Louisiana heat. Certain tasks were challenging in extreme temperatures, including the application of the epoxy grout used for the crane rail system.

Crews completed work under budget in July 2023, and since the four STS cranes have gone into operation, the port’s annual terminal capacity has increased to 1 million TEUs.