Acadian Bulk Terminal – Dock & Material Handling Facility

Completed in 1999 by Johnson Bros. Corporation, Acadian Bulk Terminal – Dock & Material Handling Facility project consisted of the construction of a dock measuring 812 feet long by 68 feet wide, with mooring dolphins extending 100 feet on each end. A bridge 427 foot in length provided access from the levee to the dock. The bridge and dock required 851 pilings ranging from 18-inch square concrete pile to 30-inch steel pipe pile, 190 feet long. During construction in the spring of 1997, the Mississippi River, just north of New Orleans, had near record flows. The project took a major setback on March 21, 1997 when a tow consisting of 19 loaded barges rammed the uncompleted dock and bridge. Over 42,000 linear feet of piling had to be re-driven and five spans of the bridge had to be demolished and replaced. The initial fast-track schedule had to be accelerated to comply with the original deadline of December 1, 1997, at which time the terminal had to be ready to receive material. In order to meet the deadline, the owner actually took work from other contractors and assigned it to Johnson Bros. Corporation.