Dade Boulevard/Collins Canal Shoreline Stabilization

Dade Boulevard, located in Miami Beach, is situated alongside the Collins Canal. It is an east-west connecting road and crosses many of the main avenues on the barrier island.  As part of a newly constructed bike path along the road, shoreline stabilization was required.

Cummins Cederberg was retained to design the 2,670 feet of steel sheet pile bulkhead along the canal, including a concrete cap. Due to the proximity to the road, a concrete crash barrier capable of withstanding vehicle impacts was incorporated as well.

The bulkhead design was further complicated by extensive below ground utilities in the area. These included main sewer, water, and high-voltage electrical lines connecting the northern and southern parts of Miami Beach.  Due to the age of the utilities, limited information relative to dimensions, locations, and depth were available. In these cases, the contractor and engineer were required to hand excavate and physically locate the lines to maintain a safe buffer during pile driving.

The required buffer produced opportunities for unique and innovative structural designs in order to create a wall in the areas of the utilities without driving piles, while still capable of retaining the relatively large earth and vehicle loads.

The south side of the canal generally consisted of older residences, approximately 50 feet from the proposed bulkhead. In order to ensure no impacts to these structures during vibratory installation of the steel sheet piles, Cummins Cederberg conducted vibration monitoring during construction