Nucor Skyline and Linde-Griffith Develop Caisson Solution For Challenging Soils

Jersey City, New Jersey

History

With some of the best views in the world, Jersey City, NJ is in the midst of a real estate renaissance. Starting in 2013, when Jersey City Mayor, Steven Fulop, took office, nearly 15,000 residential units have been constructed, with an additional 19,000 already approved. This makes Jersey City the leader in residential construction in the state.

99 Hudson Street is expected to be the tallest building in New Jersey and the sixth largest residential building in the United States. The project, a multi-use 79-story building will dramatically reshape the New Jersey skyline, at 900 feet tall. 99 Hudson will include 781 condominium units, as well as 18,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, a 7,365 square foot public plaza, and additional public spaces.

Problem

Several issues combined to make this an interesting project for everyone involved. The soils at the site were glacial till and medium/soft rock, the water table was at 5 feet, and the height of the building made it imperative that the foundation work be extremely deep and flexible. The caisson solution that was developed by Nucor Skyline and Linde-Griffith Construction was extremely cost effective and worked well in the conditions present at the jobsite.

Solution

Nucor Skyline has a long history with foundation contractor, Linde-Griffith Construction Co., which is why they partnered together on the half billion dollar project. With its on-staff engineering department, Skyline was able to design threaded bar caissons in 9-, 10-, and 13- bar varieties. These #28 threaded bar cages measured approximately 60 ft. in length, and fit inside both 36 in. and 48 in. OD x ½ in. wall pipe for the drilled shafts.

Working closely with its parent company, Nucor Corp., Nucor Skyline was able to source the coil and rounds needed for the manufacturing of the steel pipe and threaded bar cages. Nucor Skyline’s own manufacturing locations in Morrisville and Camp Hill, PA, located conveniently to the construction at less than two-hours away, were essential in insuring that all material was delivered on time and the caissons were a cost-effective solution.

Project Partners

Owner
China Overseas America, Inc. – New York, NY

General Contractor
Nordic Contracting – Ledgewood, NJ
Plaza Construction – New York, NY

Foundation Contractor
Linde-Griffith Construction – Newark, NJ

Products

Threaded Bar: #28 in 60 ft. lengths
Pipe: 36 in. and 48 in. OD x ½ in.

Project Time Frame

January 2016 to January 2017