Value engineering of quay wall at Teesport No. 2 roll-on/roll-off

The Teesport No. 2 roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) replacement project forms part of a strategic plan by the owner and operator (PD Ports) to attract and secure new shipping contracts between the northeast of England and continental Europe. The No. 2 Ro-Ro consisted of a floating linkspan bridge supported on a bankseat and guide pile. A key part of the upgrade was a new suspended concrete quay adjacent to a repositioned linkspan bridge, replacing an existing and deteriorating sheet-piled quay wall that had a complex construction history comprising multiple phases between 1961 and 1989. Recognising that a key consideration for the development was minimising operational downtime of the berth, alternatives to the suspended quay were investigated. It was concluded that the most economical alternative was an anchored combi-wall. This was also more sustainable as it resulted in a less onerous and safer maintenance burden for PD Ports and significantly reduced the amount of excavation and offsite disposal of materials. To realise this solution, however, an unusual and innovative restraint system was needed due to the limited construction footprint, which was constrained by an existing warehouse and services. This comprised a series of sheet pile counterfort walls, each tied into the combi-wall through reinforced concrete capping beams.