City: Akron
State: Ohio
Owner: City of Akron
General Contractor: Kenny/Obayashi, JV

Project Description:
Two access shafts were required for the Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel (OCIT) project in Akron, Ohio. The two shafts had inside diameters of 46 feet and 51 feet receptively.  Schnabel installed overlapping secant piles through the soil and 10 foot into the rock.  The maximum total depth of the secant piles was 67 foot.  The shafts than extended deeper into rock to the final tunnel invert of up to 190 feet below grade.

The unreinforced secant piles were installed in a circular ring pattern to provide the lateral earth support for the shaft through the overburden soils and upper portion of the bedrock. The soil at the site consisted of fill, silts and sands below the water table.  A SonicCaliper, Schnabel’s laser device and the Jean Lutz Prad system were all used to confirm the verticality of each shaft.