West Marsh Water Conveyance: Project Update #5 (Finally Pounding Pile)

A bird's-eye view really shows the progress of the last week -- the sheet pile now extends about 20' toward the bay
(right side of photo); for reference, this image shows about half of what will be the final structure

Much of our contractor's last week was spent meticulously setting the "corners" of the sheet pile that now reside between the base of the temporary access ladder (above) and the precast concrete. With the corners set, they serve as the transition between the precast and the steel corridor to the bay. I was fortunate enough to get this perspective yesterday -- from about 40' above -- and it really helps to demonstrate what is taking shape to the north (right) of the newly installed concrete boxes.

Jason, suspended in a bucket truck, carefully adjusting the Vibro
to hammer one in a series of four discrete sheet pile sections;
Mike, in the background, controls the actual hammering
(click any image to enlarge)

As of early Monday afternoon, our three-man team had installed almost a third of the steel. With an orange chalk line set as a visual guide, each pair of sheets hammered (or "vibrated") into the depths gets us about four feet closer to the bay.

I continue to be impressed with the coordination that plays out when watching a competent crew. Whether spoken or not, it's choreographed.

Yesterday's sequence: Mike on the ground lassos a ~675-lb section of steel (30"W x 20'L); Scott in the crane gently swings it into approximate position; and then Jason in the bucket truck coordinates with his ground crew (largely through subtle hand gestures) to fine-tune adjust. By the time the "Vibro" (yellow hammer affixed to the top of the sheet pile) is actually engaged, the hard work is pretty much complete.

Despite its name and hulking size, the Vibro has proven to be surprisingly quiet,
especially when driving pile in our relatively soft clay -- the project noise
essentially blends into the subtle drone of SR 2, but we'll still be
suspending work in the next day or two to rest the marsh before
the start of duck season

I'm pretty confident that Scott, our crane operator, could do this in his sleep. I'm not sure what the Vibro weighs (a lot), but it is being suspended from maybe 70-feet of cable from the boom of a 35-ton crane. And he is putting this unwieldy appendage just where it needs to be  -- using only his fingers and someone else as his eyes -- to drive the individual pile sections straight and true.

Because the discrete sections are all linked together by a folded seam, a minor adjustment to a single section has repercussions not only to the adjacent section but to the entire wall as it takes shape. But yesterday, with all the moving parts, I witnessed the walls continue to extend right before my eyes. It's exciting -- and with the main duck season opening this coming Saturday, very timely.

Couldn't resist this view of the Rest Pond from the bucket truck -- amazing what getting 40' off the ground
does to change perspective

_______________________________________

SIDEBAR: This past weekend, my kids and I had the distinct privilege to participate in a historic fish release on the Maumee River. While a couple watersheds away from the marsh, we are all working toward very similar ends. Congrats to the USFWS, the Toledo Zoo, our friend Dr. Jessica Collier, and everyone else involved in the lake sturgeon release at Walbridge Park. It was a highlight of the year! Truly an awesome project.

Two of our boys, poised to release "their sturgeon"

Our daughter, proudly showcasing her
"Maumee River Sturgeon Restoration" bucket

Our fourth, posed with a replica of what he hopes his release might someday become