MASSPORT Parking Garage Logan Airport
- Location: Boston, MA
- Owner: Massachusetts Port Authority
- Construction Manager: Turner Construction Company
- Technique(s) Utilized: Micropiles
Background
The Massachusetts Port Authority planned a three-story addition to the Central Parking Garage at Boston’s Logan International Airport. The three new stories were scheduled to be added to the existing four, which were receiving a series of repairs and upgrades.
Turner Construction, the project’s general contractor, awarded the micropile foundation contract to a Nicholson-managed joint venture. Micropiles were specified to accommodate additional loads brought on by the addition. During Phase 1, the joint venture installed a total of 696 micropiles. Around the perimeter of the existing garage and at the new stair towers, the team installed 240 piles. The remaining 456 piles were constructed inside the garage. The piles, which range from 96 to 145 feet in length, were designed to support up to 430 kips in compression and 150 kips in tension. Phase 2 was carried out during the summer of 2005 with over 50 micropiles installed.
To reduce the support required for the handing of the drill and grout spoils, a centralized plant was set up to separate a large portion of the solid material from the drilling slurry. Once the solids were removed, the remaining liquid was reused as drill fluid during future operations.
To meet the required production schedule, especially in the confined interior locations with only 11 feet of headroom, the team installed the micropiles using a Comacchio CM1200 drill rig outfitted with a customized low headroom mast
designed specifically for this project. The team carried out all micropile construction while the garage remained fully operational. Working on the heavily congested site required extensive coordination between the simultaneously working trade contractors. To guarantee continuous work, coordination meetings and sequence of operations were developed.
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