Helical Drilling completes ground improvement at future site of Holiday Inn along Mill Creek in Chelsea
Helical Drilling has completed installation of Geopier GeoConcrete Columns (GCCs), rigid inclusion ground improvement elements that enhance unsuitable soil conditions, at the future site of a Holiday Inn hotel opening in late 2018 along Mill Creek in Chelsea. The high-stiffness columns were installed to depths of 60 feet, strengthening the site’s soil in order to allow for conventional shallow footing and slab-on-grade foundation construction.
Use of GCCs is ideal for sites such as Mill Creek and its’ surroundings, which have underwent significant decontamination and have been vastly improved in recent years. GCCs, combined with engineered footing pads installed atop the columns, provide a significantly strengthened subgrade, allowing for traditional shallow footing support on sites with softer, weaker soil or shallow groundwater. The columns work together with surrounding soil to transfer heavy loads below soil down to suitable geotechnical bearing.
GCC installation is clean and efficient, generating little to no spoils without the need for casing or dewatering. GCCs are also a cost-effective alternative to traditional driven piles, allowing for rapid installation on shorter construction schedules.
The new, full-service Holiday Inn will open in late 2018 and feature 124 rooms, as well as a restaurant with waterside outdoor seating. As part of the project, a new public pedestrian path will be created along Mill Creek. The following is a video of Helical Drilling installing GCCs at the future site of Holiday Inn Chelsea:
