When we go to sleep at night, the city comes alive with nighttime construction crews. This is the time of the day that the metro halts and reduced traffic flow leaves more space for work vehicles. Over the last few weeks STEC has been driving steel foundations for elevators at pedestrian overpasses across downtown, making the road crossings better accessible to wheelchair users and baby strollers.

Steel foundations driven with resonance free vibratory hammers from ICE have been chosen for the following reasons:

Quiet – the equipment used stays within permitted sound levels and is a constant noise which doesn’t excessively irritate nearby residents during the quietest time of the night.

Safe – the piles are driven by high frequency resonance free vibratory hammer which is safe to use close to metro and utility tunnels.

Fast – vibro driving of each pile takes just a few minutes, several welders work simultaneously to finish the job.

Not obstructive – the piles and hammer are hoisted by a truck crane, which typically takes up only 2 lanes of the road. Each morning the truck crane retracts its support legs and drives off.

Clean – there is no time to clean up, so this bentonite and concrete free foundation method is very suitable for quick overnight installation.

The piles chosen are 29m, 400mm diameter steel piles, fitted with a 630mm driving cap to match the 28RF vibro hammer’s clamping range. The piles arrive on site in two sections, the second section is welded onto the first. Typically, one shift is all it takes to install the 4 piles.

Contact ICE today to check the feasibility of your ideas for inner city foundation projects!