Site Characterization Along Bridge Alignment

The second case history involves a site characterization for a new bridge into the Florida Keys. There was concern that there may be paleosinkholes present because of the alignment of four circular shaped lakes. The presence of paleosinkholes could impact the foundation for the new larger and higher bridge over Jewfish Creek between the Florida mainland and Key Largo in the upper Florida Keys. The site characterization effort was limited to the existing two-lane road and the surrounding areas that were covered in water. A major drilling and sampling effort had already been completed as part of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) geotechnical investigation. The project was carried out in 1994 over a period of 6 months in three phases following our standard site characterization strategy.