Location: Port Isabel, Texas

Description: The PILOT (Port Isabel Logistical Offshore Terminal) fuel storage tank ground improvement project consisted of installing a soil-cement column matrix beneath each of two proposed fuel storage tanks. A.H. Beck utilized a unique method of soil-cement column installation that allowed for completely homogeneous columns to be installed through challenging subsurface conditions which were unsuitable for traditional installation methods. This method allowed for the tanks to be constructed at desirable heights atop the unstable ground without the need for a deep foundation and pile cap system. The elimination of the need for a deep foundation system was able to save the owner a significant amount of not only cost but also time.

Owner: PILOT Port Isabel Logistical Offshore Terminal Engineer: Terracon Consultants, Inc.