PVC Found Superior to Concrete for Seawall Construction

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 28, 2007 (VNS) – When a crumbling seawall of pre-cast concrete and steel was about to fail, leaving Tampa General Hospital unprotected from the waters of the bay, PVC was chosen to replace the more traditional seawall materials because of its strength, resistance to saltwater corrosion, speed of installation – and economic and environmental advantages, according to hospital and construction officials.

“Unlike other seawall materials, PVC does not corrode in saltwater. Nor does it leach chemicals into the water,” said Stacy Acton, spokesperson for Atlanta-based CMI Waterfront Solutions, maker of the vinyl sheet piling for the project.

Oslec Fernandez, the hospital’s director of facilities management, said that by choosing PVC, the hospital saved 25 percent in material costs over conventional options.

The securely interlocking sheets were vibrated into place a few feet in front of the crumbling old wall. The hammering and sand displacement needed for traditional materials would probably have collapsed the old wall, Fernandez explained.

The next step was to extend the PVC bulkhead alongside an area where there was no seawall in place and where the hospital was building a new parking structure.

Fernandez was impressed that the method of installation could be adapted to different conditions. The section near the garage was installed from the land side. But, to stay clear of a perimeter road close to the seawall, the first section was installed completely by barge. He added that the seawall, with its clean lines, “looks great from the water side.”

According to Fred Haynes, of Skanska, USA, which managed the construction, “The product looks cleaner and installs faster than other seawall materials.”