Working on the Lake Pontchartrain bridge project changed my view on silt

I always thought silt was just a pain that made viz zero and got in my gear. But last week, I saw how the silt layers on the bottom there, some spots over 15 feet thick, actually protect old pilings from worse rot. The crew boss pointed out a piling we pulled that was solid under all that muck. Has anyone else found a job where the annoying thing turned out to be helpful?

3 comments

3 Comments

brian_smith62mo ago

Yeah, that's a cool way to look at it. Reminds me of when I was doing some landscaping and hated dealing with clay soil, it was like concrete. But then a dry summer hit and all the sandy gardens turned to dust, while the clay ones held moisture for the plants. What kind of shape were those old pilings in?

willowh202mo ago

Clay soil is the worst to work with but you're right, brian_smith6, it saves your plants when it gets dry. Those old pilings were surprisingly solid, just covered in thick layers of tar and rust. Felt like hitting rock when we tried to core sample them.

matthewmartin2mo agoTop Commenter

Totally get that, brian_smith6. Clay's a pain until the drought hits.