Challenge
The City of Walterboro, South Carolina faced a significant infrastructure challenge when their timber boardwalk began failing after just nine years in service. This mile-long walkway was a critical recreational asset for the community, but its rapid deterioration was causing maintenance headaches and safety concerns. Tony Houser, a consultant with WSP and avid cyclist, was particularly concerned about the slippery conditions on the wooden boardwalk, which posed dangers for bikers and pedestrians alike.
The site's remote location presented additional challenges for reconstruction. Dense tree coverage and extensive root systems throughout the area demanded a careful, environmentally sensitive construction approach. City officials needed a solution that would not only address these immediate concerns but provide a long-term, maintenance-free alternative to avoid repeating this premature replacement cycle.
Solution
After evaluating numerous options, WSP recommended PermaTrak as the base bid for the project rather than as an alternative, ensuring contractors would present their most competitive pricing for our system. This strategic decision ultimately led to PermaTrak being selected for the project, offering the city a durable concrete boardwalk solution with a design life 5-8 times longer than the previous timber structure.
The project utilized helical piers to minimize environmental disturbance, and the entire precast installation was performed using top-down construction methods. This approach allowed workers to build the boardwalk while standing on previously installed sections, significantly reducing impact to the surrounding trees and root systems.
A comprehensive site survey mapped out precisely where each helical pier needed to be placed, navigating around the existing tree roots and natural obstacles. Though some piers ended up slightly offset from their planned locations due to the challenging terrain, our flexible design easily accommodated these field adjustments.
The completed project has been so successful that Walterboro is already planning several thousand more linear feet in future phases, extending this sustainable, low-maintenance solution throughout more of their trail system.
