How The Dwyer Company Supported a New Stadium Restroom Building on Fill in Newport, Kentucky
- Project Type: Commercial
- Project Services: Deep Foundation Systems, Helical Piles
Newport High School built a new football stadium in Newport, Kentucky, and the restroom building that came with it landed on 6 to 12 feet of existing fill soils. The Dwyer Company installed 29 helical piers to support that structure, working with general contractor John Tumlin and Sons and engineer Civil Solutions. Each pier was designed to support 21 kips in compression, at depths running between 14 and 28 feet. The site sits at the bottom of a hillside, so dewatering came before the pier work.
Building on fill at the low point of a site?
Quick Facts
- Newport, Kentucky
- Project Type: Commercial – New Construction
- Owner: Newport High School
- Structure: New restroom building for the football stadium
- Foundation System: 29 helical piers supporting the restroom building
- Pier Capacity: 21 kips in compression per pier
- Pier Depth: 14 to 28 feet
- Soil Conditions: 6 to 12 feet of existing fill soils
- Site Conditions: Bottom of a hillside with water present; site dewatered before installation
- Partners: John Tumlin and Sons (general contractor), Civil Solutions (engineer)
The Challenge
The restroom building landed on 6 to 12 feet of existing fill. Fill of unknown makeup will not carry a footing dependably, so the structure needed a foundation that reached through it to material that could take the load.
Water was the second problem. The site sits at the bottom of a hillside, which is where water on a property collects. Saturated ground makes for poor working conditions and complicates foundation work of any kind, so Dwyer worked with John Tumlin and Sons to dewater the site before pier installation started.
Key Project Details
helical piers installed for the new restroom building
kips in compression designed into each pier
Existing fill soils of 6 to 12 feet bypassed to reach competent bearing
The Solution: Helical Pier Foundation System
The Dwyer Company installed 29 helical piers to carry the restroom building below the fill. Each pier was designed for 21 kips in compression, with depths between 14 and 28 feet, since a pier advances until it meets its design capacity instead of stopping at a set elevation.
Water came first. Dwyer and John Tumlin and Sons dewatered the site so the crew had ground it could install from, which is what let the pier work run cleanly across the building footprint once it started.
The Impact
Bearing below the fill
Each pier advanced past the 6 to 12 feet of existing fill to material that could carry the structure.
Capacity at every pier
All 29 piers were designed to support 21 kips in compression.
Water handled before the piers
Water handled before the piers
Efficient installation
With the water managed, the crew installed the full pier layout without losing time to site conditions.
Why Helical Piers?
Helical piers let The Dwyer Company put a new structure on competent bearing under as much as 12 feet of fill at the wettest point on the site.
- Bypasses existing fill – Piers advance past uncontrolled material and land in the soil below it.
- Adapts to changing depth – Each pier advances to capacity, so depths follow the conditions across a footprint.
- Suited to wet sites – Installation runs without an open excavation, which matters where water collects.
- Small equipment footprint – Compact machines work sites that larger foundation equipment would tear up.
Why Choose The Dwyer Company for structural integrity?
Deep History • Solid Choice
The Dwyer Company’s proven track record in commercial and industrial foundation systems made us the trusted partner for the new Newport stadium restroom building. Working alongside John Tumlin and Sons and Civil Solutions, our crew helped dewater a hillside base and installed 29 helical piers through the fill to competent bearing.
Have a build going up on fill, water, or both?