2009 Hayward Baker Inc.

(www.HaywardBaker.com)

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Project Summary
Soldier Piles and Lagging, Tiebacks, Soil Nails
Design Build Earth Retention
Calumet Water Reclamation Plant
Chicago, IL

new wastewater pump station, with a design

capacity of 600 million gallons per day, was
planned for construction at the Calumet
Wastewater Reclamation Plant on Chicagos south side.

Problem
Construction of the new pump station required excavation of
over 100,000 cubic yards of soil. A temporary earth retention
system (ERS) was required to be installed within an existing
dense network of buried live utilities to accommodate the 62foot-deep excavation. Site soils consisted of very stiff clay.

Aerial view of site.

Design Solution
Hayward Baker designed a tied-back and internally braced
soldier pile and lagging ERS, and 40-foot high soil nail
walls, to provide the required earth support. The system consisted of 1,495 linear wall feet, and over 45,000 square feet
of exposed earth retention, including 176 soldier piles, 280
grouted tiebacks, and 77 soil nails. The tiebacks ranged from
50 to 90 feet long. The soil nails were 35 feet long.
The unusual configuration of the pump station resulted in
eight re-entrant corners in the ERS. This resulted in a significant potential for conflicts between the ERS components and existing underground structures. Also, restrictive
movement criteria due to the nearby utilities and the deep
excavation required the installation of a relatively stiff, yet
cost-effective system.

3D CAD modeling was undertaken to avoid conflicts between soldier

piles, grouted tiebacks, soil nails, and existing active utilities.

To minimize conflicts between anchors, soil nails, and existing utilities, Hayward Baker used extensive 3D computer
models to locate the required ERS components to ensure that
they did not conflict with each other or the existing utilities.
The complex layout of these utilities required the installation
of over 30 different soldier pile configurations and tiebacks
to avoid conflicts and ensure stability of the ERS.
Owner
Metropolitan Water
Reclamation District of Greater
Chicago, Chicago, IL

General Contractor
IHC Construction/FHP
Tectonics, JV, Elgin, IL
Engineer
Metcalf & Eddy, Chicago, IL

Detailed 3D CAD modeling.

2009 Hayward Baker Inc.

(www.HaywardBaker.com)

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Project Summary
Calumet Water Reclamation Plant, continued

Construction
Hayward Baker installed the ERS within the very stiff clay
soil profile and around active utilities, including an arched
triple barrel tunnel, two 8-foot diameter and two 9-foot diameter tunnels. Additionally, an active electric duct bank that
powers the existing plant was underpinned to accommodate
excavations 32 feet below the utility. The duct bank was
strapped by channel beams and threaded bars connected to
40-foot-long beams spanning the excavation. The beams were
then supported by drilled soldier piles.
Soil nail wall supported the soil around the twin 9-foot diameter
tunnels, where soldier piles and lagging could not be installed.

After the soldier piles were drilled, hardwood lagging and

tiebacks were installed as the excavation proceeded. Soil nail
walls stabilized the soil around the 9-foot diameter tunnels.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Hayward Baker performed proof and performance testing on
the tiebacks and soil nails to confirm that the design capacities were achieved. Survey data of the ERS and surface
structures confirmed that the ground movement of critical
structures was negligible.

Conclusion

View of the soldier piles and lagging with grouted tiebacks.

Creating 3D models was critical in developing an efficient

design for this complex project. The models ensured that
conflicts with utilities and ERS components were avoided,
resulting in a very successful project.

Hayward Baker Locations

Performance testing confirmed that the design anchor capacity

(103 kips) was achieved.

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HB Subsidiary:
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www.HaywardBaker.com

Hayward Baker Inc. 2008

Pub No: 15601