Galveston Pleasure Pier Concrete Pier Repair Case Study
Epoxy Design Systems structurally restored the 1,200 ft concrete pier beneath the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, preparing a 70-year-old marine structure to carry rides, a midway and restaurants over the Gulf of Mexico. Over 14 months, our crews placed 4.7 million lb of shotcrete and 17,000 lb of supplemental reinforcing steel while working from suspended platforms over open water. The project earned a 2012 Honorable Mention from the American Shotcrete Association.
Worker removing deteriorated concrete from a pier column above the water
Project Snapshot
Background: A Landmark Built Over the Gulf
The Pleasure Pier opened in the early 1940s as a convention and entertainment venue. It measures 1,200 ft long and 120 ft wide, with an exhibition hall, an outdoor amphitheater and a T-shaped end that became a favorite fishing spot.
Hurricane Carla destroyed the structures on the pier in 1961. In 1965, the 10-story Flagship Hotel was built on the same concrete pier. Decades of salt air, wind and humidity wore the hotel down, and it closed in 2005.
Landry's Inc. bought the pier from the City of Galveston to redevelop it. Hurricane Ike then hit in 2008, damaging about 17,500 homes and businesses on the island and leaving the hotel beyond saving. Landry's decided to return the pier to its original purpose as a Pleasure Pier, with 16 rides, a midway and two restaurants. Before any of that could be built, the hotel had to come down and the concrete pier had to be structurally restored.
Our Role: From Design Support to Installation
Epoxy Design Systems joined the project during design. We worked with Stanley, Spurling & Hamilton Engineering to recommend repair materials and the methods to install them, drawing on decades of shotcrete and structural concrete repair work.
Together, the team selected repair methods based on material test data, how each repair would be built in the field, and coordination with Quikrete on materials. Each area of the pier received its own specification based on the type of repair it needed.
How the Repair Was Done
A specialty contractor took the 10-story hotel down one floor at a time.
Betco Scaffold of Houston designed and installed working platforms measuring 120 x 200 ft, hung 7 ft below the deck and anchored to the existing columns. Platforms moved section by section, starting at the end farthest out over the water.
Tarps, screens, netting, tethers and tie-offs were used every day to control debris and overspray and keep workers safe.
Crews removed all deteriorated and micro-fractured concrete, including at least 1 in. behind existing reinforcing steel.
All corrosion was removed from the rebar. Any bar that had lost more than 25% of its cross section was replaced, anchored and lap spliced. All steel was coated with an anti-corrosion material before shotcrete.
The prepared concrete was presoaked to a saturated surface dry (SSD) condition so the new material would bond as one solid section.
Crews applied micro-silica enhanced dry-mix shotcrete using three C-10 machines, including overhead work with very limited headroom.
Each member was built back to its required thickness, then struck and finished to match the original pier dimensions.
Quality Control
An on-site engineer inspected each stage, including removal depth, surface profile, rebar replacement, anchoring and coating. Crews measured shotcrete thickness, cover over reinforcement, density, compression and consolidation throughout. Test panels were shot and checked every day against the specifications approved by the engineer and owner.
Results by the Numbers
- 4.7 million lb of Quikrete Shotcrete MS placed
- 17,000 lb of supplemental reinforcing steel installed
- 70 workers on the project
- 14 months from start to finish
The restored pier gave Landry's a sound structural base for the new Pleasure Pier, returning the site to the use it was first built for in the 1940s.
Industry Recognition
The project received a 2012 Honorable Mention from the American Shotcrete Association and was featured in the Winter 2013 issue of Shotcrete magazine. Epoxy Design Systems is a charter member of the ASA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shotcrete can be applied overhead and on vertical surfaces without formwork, which made it practical for repairing the underside of beams, joists and flat plates from platforms over the water. The micro-silica enhanced mix also adds density and resistance to chloride intrusion in a marine environment.
Crews remove the damaged concrete, including at least 1 in. behind the reinforcing steel, and clean all corrosion from the bars. Bars that have lost more than 25% of their cross section are replaced and lap spliced. All steel is then coated with an anti-corrosion material before new concrete or shotcrete is applied.
On this project, engineered working platforms measuring 120 x 200 ft were suspended 7 ft below the deck and anchored to existing columns. They were moved section by section, with daily tie-offs, netting and containment to protect workers and the water below.
Salt water, airborne chlorides, humidity and wave action push chlorides into the concrete. Once they reach the reinforcing steel, it corrodes and expands, which cracks and spalls the surrounding concrete. Without regular maintenance, that damage spreads to piles, beams and decks.
An on-site engineer inspects each stage of preparation and steel work. Crews also measure shotcrete thickness, cover over reinforcement, density, compression and consolidation, and test panels are shot and checked daily against the approved specifications.
Yes. Most projects are within 500 miles of Houston, but Epoxy Design Systems has completed work across the U.S. and internationally, including Aruba, St. Croix, Panama, Honduras, Chile, Thailand and Diego Garcia.
Planning a pier, wharf or marine structure repair?
Epoxy Design Systems has repaired, protected and strengthened concrete structures since 1977, from Gulf Coast piers to projects across the U.S. and overseas. Request a quote or call (713) 461-8733 to talk with our team.