CASE HISTORIES OF CORPS BREAKWATER AND JETTY STRUCTURES
LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY DIVISION
PART I:
INTRODUCTION
Background
1.
The US
Corps of Engineers (Corps) is responsible for a wide
variety 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
to provide harbor protection and the safe passage of vessels. These structures
are subjected continuously to wave and current forces and usually are con-
structed on top of movable-bed materials. Under these conditions structural
deterioration may occur and, at some point, maintenance, repair, or rehabil-
itation may be required when the structure deteriorates and/or fails to serve
the existing needs of the project. Some projects have been maintained f o r
years or more. Methods of construction and repair have varied signi-
ficantly during this time, due principally to a better understanding 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 provide insight into the scope,
magnitude, and history of coastal breakwaters and jetties under Corps juris-
diction; to determine their maintenance and repair history; to determine their
methods of construction; and to make this information available to Corps
personnel. To accomplish these objectives, 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
the solutions that have been most successful during selection of repair tech-
niques for other structures. Information in this report should be of parti-
cular value to Corps personnel in the US Army Lower Mississippi Valley
Division (LMVD) and its coastal districts, and possibly to non-Corps
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