Alabama

Expert No. 12

 

Alabama

 

EDUCATION

 

University of South Alabama - Mobile, AL 

1972 Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

 

REGISTRATIONS

 

Alabama - Professional Engineer - 1978

Mississippi - Professional Engineer - 1995

Louisiana - Professional Engineer - 2008

 

OVERVIEW OF PROJECT EXPERIENCE

 

38 years of geotechnical engineering experience covering

 

Mobile, Alabama

New Orleans, Louisiana

South Mississippi

Northwest Florida

Georgia

Texas

 

Work performed for

 

Post-Katrina floodwall improvements in New Orleans

Ports and harbors

Paper mills

Oil and gas terminals

Chemical plants

Solid waste landfills

Public schools and universities

Municipal/governmental facilities

Commercial, light industrial facilities and residential projects

 

Engineering services have been performed for the design of

 

Earthen levees and dams.

Deep pile foundations for numerous types of structures.

Sheet pile bulkheads at port facilities.

Shallow foundations for buildings and lightly loaded structures.

Landfill liners.

Highway pavements.

Foundations to remediate expansive soil conditions.

Foundations to remediate sinkholes in Karst deposits.

 

Forensic engineering services have been performed (and expert witness services rendered) to evaluate causes of failures for the following conditions

 

Earthen embankment failures (causes evaluated and expert services provided).

Inadequate capacities of pile capacities indicated by pile load tests (causes evaluated).

Failures of sheetpile bulkheads (causes evaluated).

Failure and/or settlement of structures supported on shallow foundations (causes evaluated and expert services provided).

Failures of roadway pavements (causes evaluated and expert services provided).

Foundation distress related to expansive soil conditions (causes evaluated and expert services provided).

Foundation difficulties related to suspected sinkhole formation (causes evaluated and expert services provided).

Disturbance of private property related to oil well drilling (site investigated and expert services provided).

 

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

 

April 2010 to May 2010

ATC Associates - Biloxi, Mississippi Office

Operations Branch Manager - Responsible for day-to-day operations of the office, which primarily provided construction materials testing services for new construction.  Position with the company was eliminated in May 2010 due to insufficient workload.

 

October 2006 to April 2010

URS Corporation - Mobile, Alabama Office

Senior Geotechnical Engineer, P.E. - Was hired as a Mobile, Alabama employee primarily to perform design services for flood protection systems in the New Orleans area as the first step in the establishment of a geotechnical engineering department for the URS Metairie profit center. Was instrumental in growing the Mobile operation to a team of 5 geotechnical engineers. All work was performed out of the Mobile office, with day-trips to project sites and to attend meetings, as necessary.

Supervision (and performance) of analyses necessary for design of levees and flood walls for the future protection of the New Orleans area;

Trained and mentored staff engineers on analysis procedures;

Preparation of proposals to the Corps of Engineers (USACE and HPO) for the flood protection projects and to other clients for private projects;

Attended contract negotiation, pre-work and technical review meetings with USACE and HPO;

Prepared reports detailing the results of design analyses performed for the USACE, HPO and private projects;

Responded to review comments from USACE and HPO; and Inspected various aspects of construction of levees that were under construcrion.

 

March 2006 to October 2006

Aquaterra Engineering - Mobile, Alabama Branch Office           

Senior Geotechnical Engineer, P.E. - Was instrumental in the negotiation for Aquaterra Engineering to acquire the Mobile assets of United Consulting (see below). During and after the negotiation period, day-to-day services of the Mobile operation were seamlessly carried out to meet project requirements.

Management of the day-to-day business and technical operations of the office;

Client contact, including business development and preparation of proposals;

Planning and supervision of field and laboratory testing for geotechnical studies, performance of geotechnical analyses and preparation of geotechnical reports; and Supervision of construction materials testing services.

 

October 1998 to March 2006

United Consulting - Mobile, Alabama Branch Office

Senior Geotechnical Engineer, P.E.,  - Established the Mobile branch office of United Consulting in October 1998. During this period, the office grew from a staff of one engineer who was responsible for performing all facets of United Consulting'�s business to a staff fully capable of performing a full range of testing laboratory services. Projects were performed for United Consulting'�s national client base as well as clients local to Mobile, including the Mobile County Commission, the Mobile County Public School System, the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System and high-rise condominium developers.

Management of the day-to-day business and technical operations of the office;

Client contact, including business development and preparation of proposals;

Planning, coordination and supervision of field and laboratory testing for geotechnical studies, performance of geotechnical analyses and preparation of geotechnical reports;

Supervision of construction materials testing services; and

Performance of Environmental Site Assessments and NEPA studies.

 

May 1996 to October 1998

Thompson Engineering Testing, Inc. - Mobile, Alabama

Senior Geotechnical Engineer, P.E. - Responsible for preparation of geotechnical engineering reports for design of foundations and supervision of construction testing services for projects ranging from major industrial to light commercial. Evaluated pile foundation designs using Wave equation, lateral pile capacity and vertical pile capacity computer programs. Evaluated results of pile load tests, which allowed capacity comparisons between driven precast concrete piles and auger displacement concrete (a.k.a. DeWaal) piles.

 

December 1995 to May 1996

Polysurveying Engineering-Surveying - Mobile, Alabama          

Civil Design Engineer, P.E. - Responsible for site, street and subdivision design. Geotechnical related work while with Polysurveying included design of sheetpile bulkheads and geotechnical study/expert witness testimony in court case related to an oil field issue.

 

1976 to December 1995

Geotechnical Engineering-Testing, Inc. - Mobile, Alabama                 

Project Geotechnical Engineer, P.E.,  - Responsible for planning, coordination, supervision and preparation of geotechnical engineering reports for design of foundations for projects ranging from major industrial to light commercial. Worked with most governmental agencies and A/E firms of the area during this period. Supervised construction testing services, and on occasion, performed such services, for a wide array of projects. Developed computer programs to evaluate sheetpile bulkheads, axial pile capacities and settlement of structures. Performed slope stability analyses for design of embankments and to evaluate causes of failure where failure had previously occurred.

 

1974 to 1976

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Mobile District Office

Soils Engineer, EIT, GS-11 Grade - Conducted slope stability, settlement and seepage analyses for locks and dams constructed in the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Project. Performed geotechnical studies for design of foundations at military bases in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.

 

1972 to 1974

Vester J. Thompson, Jr., Inc. - Mobile, Alabama                                                    

Staff Geotechnical Engineer, EIT - Performed slope stability, bearing capacity, settlement and pile capacity analyses for design of foundations for various structures.

 

1968 to 1972

Alabama Highway Department - Mobile Division and York, AL Field Office      

Engineering Assistant - Assisted (part-time and summers during college) in preliminary route surveys and construction verification surveys for interstate highways.

 

PROJECT SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE

 

Federal Projects

 

USACE New Orleans District, West of Algiers Levee Enlargement, Plaquemines Parish, LA, Project Geotechnical Engineer: The project is to provide improved storm surge protection for the area along the west bank of the Algiers Canal from Belle Chasse Highway to Hero Cutoff. As part of this task, existing flood protection levees along the west bank of the canal will be heightened. As part of the URS design team, Expert has performed USACE Method of Planes and Slope/W (Spencer'�s method) slope stability analyses to evaluate raising the existing levees to Elevation +10. Geotechnical services were completed by Expert as part of an Engineering Alternative Report to explore heightened levees (with deep soil mixing and geotextile reinforced designs) and T-walls for raising the levee system to elevation +14. 

 

USACE, Hurricane Protection Office (HPO), New Orleans East, New Orleans, LA, Project Geotechnical Engineer: To protect the New Orleans East area from storm surges related to future hurricanes, existing flood protection levees and walls will be improved and heightened around the New Orleans East area. As part of the URS design team, Expert has performed analyses for design of new T-wall structures and levees to protect against storm surges to the design flood levels designated for the area.

 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Bayou La Batre Harbor Improvements, Bayou La Batre, Alabama, Project Geotechnical Engineer, 1993-1995: The channel in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, which serves the fishing industry, was deepened in a Federal project to allow vessels with deeper drafts to access the bayou.  Numerous privately owned piers and bulkheads existed along both sides of the bayou'�s channel, and it was determined that some of the structures would be undermined by the channel dredging.  To prevent this, new bulkheads were constructed in front of the existing structures. Expert directed field and laboratory testing services and performed analyses for design of the new bulkheads.

 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, Alabama, Soils Engineer GS-11, 1972-1974: As an employee of the Mobile District of the Corps of Engineers, Expert performed settlement, slope stability and seepage analyses for design of locks and dams of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in northeast Mississippi.

 

Bulkheads, Docks and Riverbank Stabilization

 

Mississippi State Port Authority, Gulfport, Mississippi, West Pier Berths 1 and 2 Rehabilitation, Project Geotechnical Engineer, 2007-2008:  The new pier was constructed to replace a pier along an existing berthing slip that was damaged by Hurricane Katrinna. The new pier is about 1170 feet long, 100 feet wide and is supported on about 1,200, 24-inch square driven precast concrete piles. Expert observed installation of test piles; evaluated results of PDA (Pile Dynamic Analyzer) and static load tests performed on test piles; and provided recommendations for installation of the project'�s production piles.

 

Scott Paper Company, Woodyard Dock, Chickasaw Creek, Mobile, Alabama, Project Geotechnical Engineer, 1980:  Performed geotechnical design studies for a woodyard dock along Chickasaw Creek. Wood chips, which had been placed over a period of many years, existed from the surface of the creek bank (near elevation 10) to approximate elevation - 30.  The design called for a dock at elevation plus 10 feet and an elevation minus 15-foot water depth for barges.  Conventional sheetpile bulkhead and cellular cofferdam designs were studied and found to be cost-prohibitive.  The selected design consisted of a pile-supported pier above a sand mound.  The sand mound was constructed by removing the wood chips and unsuitable soils to approximate elevation minus 40 feet and backfilling with clean sand.  The sand mound was constructed with a 1 vertical on 1.5 horizontal face, which was protected with riprap.

 

Alabama State Docks, Berth '�E'� Renovations, Mobile, Alabama, Project Geotechnical Engineer, 1993: Directed field and laboratory testing services; performed design analyses; and monitored construction materials testing services for the Alabama State Docks Berth E Renovation. The project consisted of a 500-foot long dock along the west bank of the Mobile River with a new warehouse behind the dock.  An anchored sheetpile bulkhead with a landside relieving platform was used in the project. To allow this design to work, it was necessary to improve the subgrade behind the bulkhead.  Stone columns, constructed by a technique similar to that used for construction of Geopiers, were installed along the north reach of the bulkhead and were found to greatly increase the strength of the clays.  Stone column application was not feasible in the south reach of the bulkhead, and the soft clays were removed behind the bulkhead and replaced with clean sand.  The superstructure of the warehouse was supported on pile foundations and the floor was floated on-grade.  To reduce the potential for settlement, the warehouse area was preloaded with 10 feet of soil, and the consolidation process was sped to about 100 days through the installation of vertical wick drains on 4 foot centers.

 

Boise Cascade Paper Mill, Jackson, Alabama, Investigation and Remediation of Various River Bank Failures, Project Geotechnical Engineer, 1978-1995: Soils explorations and geotechnical engineering studies were conducted under the supervision of Expert to explore the causes and provide solutions to failures along the bank of the Tom bigbee River adjacent to the Boise Cascade Paper Mill. One such failure caused the complete destruction of a pile supported dock along the bank of the river. The data gathered and the results of slope stability analyses indicated that the failures were generally not classical rotational shear failures, but instead were the result of piping of soils from the river bank caused by artesian groundwater flow.

 

Trinity Yachts, Gulfport, Mississippi, Launchway and Syncro Lifts, Project Geotechnical Engineer, 2005: New Launchway and Syncro Lifts were required to allow Trinity Yachts to launch new multi-million dollar yachts constructed at their facility into Gulfport Lake. The new lifts were supported on large diameter, high capacity pipe piles. Expert directed field and laboratory testing services; performed pile design analyses; and prepared a report of findings and recommendations for the project.

 

Oil and Gas Industry

 

Duke Energy, New NGL (Gas Treatment) Plant, Coden, Alabama, Project Geotechnical Engineer, 1998: Expert directed field and laboratory testing services; performed design analyses and directed construction materials testing services for the new Duke Energy NGL Plant.  About 1500 14-inch precast concrete piles varying in length from about 50 to 80 feet were used to support structures of the NGL plant.  In some locations in the NGL plant, about 300 160-foot-long, 12 inch diameter open-ended pipe piles were used to satisfy the design requirements.  About 350 14-inch diameter displacement auger cast concrete piles (a.k.a. DeWaal piles) were used to support structures of a Power Plant constructed in the project.

 

Louisiana Land and Exploration Company, Blakely Island, Mobile, Alabama, Oil Storage Tanks, Project Geotechnical Engineer, 1978-1980: Expert directed field and laboratory testing services; performed design analyses; and evaluated results of stage load instrumentation for the LL&E storage tanks.  Four 150-foot diameter by 40-foot high oil storage tanks were supported on shallow foundations above very soft clayey and silty subgrade soils.  The tanks were allowed to settle and strengthen the subgrade soils during a stage load program, which was monitored using piezometers, inclinometers and settlement points.  As expected, settlement of the tanks generally varied from about one foot around the perimeters to as much as 30 inches at interior points.  The piezometers and inclinometers were observed with increasing stages of water load to detect signs of shear failures. Settlement measurements around the perimeters of the tanks indicated relatively uniform perimeter settlement, which was an indication that the tanks were not out-of-round and that the floating roofs would function properly. At this point (2008) the tanks are understood to still be functioning properly.

 

Solid Waste Landfills

 

International Paper, Chunchula Landfill, Chunchula, Alabama, Project Geotechnical Engineer, 1985 - 1997: Directed field and laboratory testing services, performed geotechnical analyses, authored geotechnical reports and monitored construction testing services for design of impervious clay liners for the International Paper Chunchula Landfill. Also provided recommendations to remediate slope failures that occurred in waste material that had been piled to great heights on very steep slopes in the landfill.

 

 

Roadway Design and Construction

 

Mobile County Commission, Mobile County, Alabama, Pay-As-You-Go Road Building Projects, Project Geotechnical Engineer, 1998-2007: Directed field and laboratory testing services; performed pavement design analyses; authored geotechnical reports; and supervised construction materials testing services for various roads in the Mobile County road program. The geotechnical work included testing the subgrade of existing unpaved roads and performing analyses to evaluate pavement buildups for the roads. During construction, tests were performed to confirm material conformance and compaction requirements of subgrade, base and asphalt materials.

 

Public Schools

 

Mobile County Public School System, Mobile, Alabama, Various School Projects in Mobile County, Project Geotechnical Engineer, 1990-2007: Directed field and laboratory testing services, performed geotechnical analyses and monitored construction testing services for various schools in the Mobile County school system. The most recent projects included Eight Mile Elementary, John Will Elementary, and Hutchens Elementary.

 

Cellular Communications Towers

 

HDDTV Tower, Baldwin County, Alabama, Project Geotechnical Engineer, 2000: Directed field and laboratory testing services; performed design analyses; and supervised construction materials testing services for an 1800-foot high HDDTV tower.  The tower mast was supported on a 60-foot by 60-foot by 9-foot thick mat foundation. Uplift and lateral forces were resisted at nine guy anchor points by 10-to 12-foot diameter by 60-to 80-foot deep drilled piers.

 

City of Foley, Foley, Alabama, Communications Tower, Project Geotechnical Engineer, 1997: Performed geotechnical design for the Foley Justice Center tower. The tower is a 160-foot tall monopole supported on large-diameter drilled pier foundations.  Design computations were performed to determine vertical and lateral capacities of piers supporting the tower.  Vertical capacities were estimated using a static pile capacity computer program developed by Expert.  Lateral capacities were estimated using the Ensoft, Inc. computer program, LPILE for Windows.

 

Commercial Clients

 

Chick-fil-A, Waffle House, Aaron Rents, Murphy Oil, et al, Sites in Alabama, Mississippi and Texas, Project Engineer, 1998-2006: Served as the project manager for phase I environmental assessments and geotechnical explorations for commercial projects located in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia and Texas.  The purposes of the geotechnical explorations were to determine the general type and condition of the subsurface materials at the project sites and to provide recommendations for design and construction of the building foundations and parking area pavements. The phase I environmental site assessments were performed to determine whether there was evidence of hazardous substances (including hazardous wastes and/or petroleum products) on or adjacent to the project sites, which could have imposed environmental liabilities on the sites.

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