Deep Foundation Projects

Morris-Shea installed the DeWaal Pile System as deep foundations for the new Gulf Shores High School in Baldwin County near Gulf Shores, Alabama. These drilled displacement piles will support two and three story classroom, performing arts and athletic buildings. Foundation installation commenced in late April and was completed on schedule in mid-July.

Morris-Shea installed DeWaal piles, rigid inclusions and shoring at Ford Motor Company’s expansive new production facility near Stanton, Tennessee.

Deep foundation piles for the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Bonita Springs, Florida will support two 20 story towers and a parking podium. Morris-Shea installed 1,406 De-Waal piles throughout the project site. Project specifica-tions required two successful 14 inch and two 18 inch static load tests and one lateral load test. The Morris-Shea crew completed the project one month early. Two advanced Morris-Shea rigs, including the larg-est deep foundation multifunctional drill rig in use in North America, were utilized for this project. DeWaal DWP piles were drilled to depths up to 133 feet and then chipped and cut upon completion of drilling. Pile installation was completed on December 19, 2023. Pile cutting/chipping commenced on November 27, 2023 and concluded on January 20, 2024. Morris-Shea com-pleted pile cutting ahead of schedule.

Morris-Shea has the experience and manpower necessary to maintain the engineering integrity and construction processes demanded for multiple energy projects. The concurrent installation of nearly 75,000 DeWaal piles at new LNG terminals in Corpus Christi, Texas and Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana required numerous highly skilled crews of deep foundation professionals. This experience grew from years of DeWaal pile installation at LNG liquefaction projects near Freeport, Texas and in Sabine Pass, Cameron Parish and Calcasieu Pass, Louisiana. Today, the DeWaal Pile System provides critical foundations for advanced LNG terminals operating throughout the southern United States. Morris-Shea fields the most experienced deep foundation energy construction teams in North America. Since 1992, Morris-Shea has installed hundreds of thousands of DeWaal piles throughout the United States, the Caribbean and South America.

Morris-Shea installed 527 16 inch diameter DeWaal Piles as deep foundation for the new College Point Logistics distribution and warehousing center in Queens, New York. The logistics complex is located near Whitestone Expressway with easy access to major highways, airports and railroads. The expansive light industrial center will incorporate an 81,000 square foot building with 160,000 square feet of parking structure. Birmingham-based Morris-Shea successfully completed the project in three phases under conditions made difficult by inclement weather and job site concerns.|

Morris-Shea, a leading deep foundation contractor, installed 7033 DeWaal Drilled Displacement Piles as deep foundations for all major structures at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. The Mobile, Alabama center assembles and paints Airbus A220 and A320 aircraft. Conventional augercast piles were initially specified for the first aircraft assembly building’s deep foundation at the job site, but the Morris-Shea team presented DeWaal pile as a Value Engineered Alternate. The DeWaal Pile System proved successful in reducing project expense and expedited construction scheduling. This patented pile was later specified for all deep foundations at the Airbus campus.

Morris-Shea (MSB) installed a deep foundation system for the construction of a parking structure and oce building at the nCino Headquarters in Wilmington, NC. The 640 car, four story parking deck and 90,000 SQ FT, three story oce building expand the corporation’s headquarters footprint. The Morris-Shea team utilized a PVE 90 Drill Rig and Schwing Concrete Pump to install 170 12-inch diameter DeWaal piles at the building site. MSB drilled 147 14-inch diameter piles for the parking structure’s deep foundation.

Morris-Shea, installed nearly 1500 rigid inclusions at a new 650-unit multi-family development in Everett, Massachusetts. Foundations for this six-story building project required the construction of rigid inclusions for ground improvement at the site of an old Boston Street debris recycling plant. The Morris-Shea team utilized two Fundex 3500 drill rigs, including one with a unique clamping system at the top of the mast, for installation of continuous drilled DeWaal rigid inclusions ranging in depths up to 133 feet.

Morris-Shea, a leading foundation contractor, installed deep foundation piles for the new Titan Project Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Hanger at the northeastern corner of Pensacola International Airport. A total of 322 DeWaal Piles with two different configurations of steel reinforcing cages were drilled at the busy airport. Morris-Shea deployed a PVE 90 drill rig to accommodate the 80 foot height restriction inherent at many active airport job sites. The DeWaal piles were set in a subsurface soil environment of predominantly sands and silty/clayey sands that were overly moisture sensitive.

Morris-Shea (MSB) installed a deep foundation system for the construction of a parking structure and office building at the nCino Headquarters in Wilmington, NC. The 640 car, four story parking deck and 90,000 SQ FT, three story office building expand the corporation’s headquarters footprint. The Morris-Shea team utilized a PVE 90 Drill Rig and Schwing Concrete Pump to install 170 12-inch diameter DeWaal piles at the building site. MSB drilled 147 14-inch diameter piles for the parking structure’s deep foundation.

Morris-Shea installed 83 DeWaal Piles as deep foundation for the expansion of the Citibank Center in Tampa, Florida. The site of the new 138,000-sq.-ft. Citibank Amenities building is an extension of the existing corporate campus. The Morris-Shea engineering team redesigned the original specications to better accommodate the site’s restricted access and improve load capacity. Morris-Shea’s compact Fundex TTD-50 drill rig was perfectly suited to operate in the tight connes of the jobsite – maneuvering through four separate limited access work areas, laying down for multiple moves under permanent walkway structures, and installing piles while operating only inches away from partially demolished buildings.

Morris-Shea installed 190 Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) piles as deep foundations for a new Novant Health hospital and 56,000-square-foot medical offce building in Ballantyne, NC. The Morris-Shea team reviewed and redesigned the original conventional augercast specifications. CFA 24-inch and 36-inch diameter piles were specified as a Value Engineered Alternate to improve load capacity and reduce production scheduling.

Morris-Shea installed Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) piles for the deep foundation of the new high rise at The Cardinal at North Hills. The 18 story expansion of the Raleigh, NC senior living facility required the installation of 199 CFA piles to underpin a single level of below ground parking and 191 housing units in the new tower. Morris-Shea drilled 24” and 36” CFA piles to depths of 24’ to 68’ to satisfy all load requirements.

Morris-Shea completed a retrofit at an immense online retailer distribution center in Shafter, CA. This one million square foot Central Valley warehouse required significant modifications to increase load capacity to accommodate a new mezzanine level for expanded use. Morris-Shea recommended a value-engineered alternate design that improved support for the elevated area within the structure.