CALCASIEU LOCK GUIDEWALL REPLACEMENT

Lake Charles, Louisiana

As one of the most heavily-trafficked locks along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the Calcasieu Lock required repairs to its deteriorated south guidewall. Working as a subcontractor for the marine portion of this U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project, we removed and replaced the existing guidewall structure in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Due to the volume of marine traffic utilizing the structure, the team worked under a phased work schedule to progress critical items while maintaining navigation for a portion of the week and avoiding a complete closure of the lock and the associated impact to the industry.  

The existing timber piling and fiberglass-reinforced, marine-grade timbers were removed and replaced with plumb and battered steel pipe pile (18-inch-diameter) installed along the length of the lock. When the installation of the new steel pipe pile was complete, we placed precast monolith tubs over the piling and filled them with concrete. The timber piling and fiberglass-reinforced, marine-grade timbers we initially removed were then reused for the newly-constructed guidewall monoliths.