PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
THE WALK STUDENT HOUSING 
TUSCALOOSA, AL

MORIS-SHEA PROJECT COMPONENTS:
Cutter Soil Mix Retaining Wall – 90 panels
CFA Foundation Pile – 48 piles

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Morris-Shea utilized a Cutter Soil Mixing (CSM) method to install a contiguous retention wall at depths up to 60 feet for a 3-story underground parking garage at The Walk, a student housing project in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The CSM structure was then excavated to produce 40 feet high interior walls that retain soil and minimize ground water penetration. The geotechnical contractor also drilled 48 Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) piles and plunge columns that form the high capacity deep foundation for the multi-story structure. These piles were drilled to bedrock from within a 20 FT excavation of the perimeter CSM wall.

WALL AND FOUNDATION INSTALLATION

Cutter Soil Mixing (CSM) panels were formed by drilling overlapping primary and secondary panels to depths up to 60 feet below grade to serve as a soil retaining and water cutoff wall. Two soldier beams were precisely placed in each panel with survey control and templates to maintain proper placement and verticality. Bentonite slurry was injected through the CSM when mixing to the bottom of each panel. Cement slurry was used during extraction of the CSM to provide a structurally sound, low permeability wall with a minimum compressive stress of 350 psi. Initial excavation was performed upon completion of the CSM wall followed by installation of CFA piles and plunge columns to support interior columns and walls of the structure.