CASE HISTORIES OF CORPS BREAKWATER AND JETTY STRUCTURES
NORTH ATLANTIC DIVISION
PART I: INTRODUCTION
Background
The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is responsible for a wide vari-
1.
ety of coastal structures located on the Atlantic, Pacific, and gulf coasts,
the Great Lakes, the Hawaiian Islands, other islands, and inland waterways.
Coastal improvements such as breakwaters or jetties are necessary where safe
harboring or passage of shipping is required. These structures are contin-
uously subjected to wave and current forces, and they are usually constructed
on top of movable-bed materials. Under these conditions structural deteriora-
tion can occur and, at some point, maintenance is required if the structure
fails to serve the existing needs of the project. Some of these projects have
been maintained for 150 years or more. Methods of construction (and repair)
have varied significantly during this time, due principally to a better under-
standing of coastal processes, availability of construction materials, existing
wave climates, regional construction practices, and economic considerations.
Purpose
2. The purposes of this report are to lend insight into the scope, magni-
tude, and history of coastal breakwaters and jetties under Corps jurisdiction;
determine their maintenance and repair history; determine their methods of
construction; make this information available t o Corps personnel; and address
objectives of the Repair, Evaluation, Maintenance, and Rehabilitation (REMR)
research program. To do this, case histories of Corps breakwater and jetty
structures have been developed to quantify past and present problem areas (if
any), to take steps to rectify these problems, and to subsequently evaluate the
remedial measures. General design guidance can be obtained from those solu-
tions that have been most successful. Information in this report should be of
particular value to Corps personnel in the US Army Engineer Division, North
Atlantic (NAD), and its coastal districts and possibly to non-Corps personnel.
Where adequate solutions are lacking or where specific guidance is needed,
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