James River Ferry Landing Mooring Dolphins
Hampton Roads, Virginia
AMT provided construction engineering inspection services for various projects throughout the Hampton Roads District for the Virginia Department of Transportation which includes roadway reconstruction and widening, curb and gutter, storm sewer, guardrail installations, drainage and utility installation, asphalt paving and slurry seal, pavement repair and rehabilitation, traffic signal installations, bridge and tunnel maintenance and guardrail repairs.
As part of this Hampton Roads District contract, we served as the construction managers and inspectors for a unique project on the James River Ferry Landing. The ferry crosses the James River, connecting the Jamestown Settlement with Surry, Virginia to the south. As the ferry slows to approach the dock, it loses some of its steering capacity leaving it vulnerable winds and waves that can push the ferry off course. This project placed dolphins into the river in a funnel shape to contain the ferry within the appropriate pathway helping it to arrive safely at the dock.
The dolphins consist of sets of 60- to 70-foot pressure treated piles. The piles are driven 55 feet into the river bottom in clusters of 19, 37 or 61, and then wrapped at various heights with wire rope and the top treated with hot pitch. They are designed to withstand low-speed impacts from the ferry as it slows to make its arrival.
