The construction of Port of Beaumont’s Main Street Terminal 1 has been completed, as announced by U.S.-based McCarthy Building Companies.

The project involved the demolition of a failed dock structure and the construction of a new general cargo dock, with the port aiming to bolster the cargo handling capacity of the RoRo terminal by over 15%.

McCarthy began work on the Main Street Terminal in February of 2022 and completed the construction several months ahead of schedule. The port has assigned US$57 million for the construction project.

The original 100-year-old dock at the Main Street Terminal collapsed in 2012, with the concrete slab sliding into the water due to pile corrosion. This required the entire dock to be demolished, with portions remaining underwater with near zero visibility.

McCarthy first needed to remove everything directly on and just below the subsurface mudline before installing the new dock in the old dock’s footprint, as any underwater obstructions would have hindered pile driving installation.

The new dock, measuring 1,200 feet long (365.7 meters) and 130 feet wide, with a larger section in the middle measuring 152 feet wide, consists of concrete piles, cast-in-place concrete caps and beams, pre-cast concrete deck panels, and a concrete topping slab. McCarthy said that concrete piles provide a corrosion-resistant foundation for extended resiliency and that the final concrete topping slab is constructed using synthetic concrete reinforcing fibers, as opposed to traditional welded steel wire mesh. This reinforcing material provides a corrosion-resistant surface which will slow deterioration.

The new fender system includes an energy-absorbing component to reduce loads on the dock, which will extend the useful life of the new dock.

Main Street Terminal 1 is the largest of the 20 projects on the Port of Beaumont’s Capital Improvement Program.

The construction of Port of Beaumont’s Main Street Terminal 1 has been completed, as announced by U.S.-based McCarthy Building Companies.

The project involved the demolition of a failed dock structure and the construction of a new general cargo dock, with the port aiming to bolster the cargo handling capacity of the RoRo terminal by over 15%.

McCarthy began work on the Main Street Terminal in February of 2022 and completed the construction several months ahead of schedule. The port has assigned US$57 million for the construction project.

The original 100-year-old dock at the Main Street Terminal collapsed in 2012, with the concrete slab sliding into the water due to pile corrosion. This required the entire dock to be demolished, with portions remaining underwater with near zero visibility.

McCarthy first needed to remove everything directly on and just below the subsurface mudline before installing the new dock in the old dock’s footprint, as any underwater obstructions would have hindered pile driving installation.

The new dock, measuring 1,200 feet long (365.7 meters) and 130 feet wide, with a larger section in the middle measuring 152 feet wide, consists of concrete piles, cast-in-place concrete caps and beams, pre-cast concrete deck panels, and a concrete topping slab. McCarthy said that concrete piles provide a corrosion-resistant foundation for extended resiliency and that the final concrete topping slab is constructed using synthetic concrete reinforcing fibers, as opposed to traditional welded steel wire mesh. This reinforcing material provides a corrosion-resistant surface which will slow deterioration.

The new fender system includes an energy-absorbing component to reduce loads on the dock, which will extend the useful life of the new dock.

Main Street Terminal 1 is the largest of the 20 projects on the Port of Beaumont’s Capital Improvement Program.