Tradepoint Atlantic East-West Berth


Owner: Tradepoint Atlantic
Lead Engineer: Transystems (formerly WBCM)


The Tradepoint Atlantic East-West Berth, located at Tradepoint Atlantic’s Sparrows Point facility, a multi-modal logistics and transportation hub site, exemplifies the transformation of a former industrial site into an active port facility.

The original berth, constructed in three sections during the early 1900s, faced settlement challenges due to soft clays underlying iron ore slag backfill. While previous underpinning efforts temporarily addressed some of these challenges, the need for a deeper dredge depth and enhanced operational efficiency necessitated the construction of a new berth.

D.W. Kozera, Inc. (DWK) provided geotechnical engineering for the design and construction of the new berth which now supports the handling of dry bulk and roll-on/roll-off (RORO) goods.  The East-West Berth includes a 2,200-foot-long wharf, a pile supported concrete heavy lift pad, and Portland Cement concrete (PCC) pavements.  The construction value of the new port facility was on the order of $33 million dollars.


DWK’s pre-construction efforts included conducting a subsurface investigation, performing slope stability analyses, and designing deep foundations to support the pile-supported platform, which accommodates the concrete heavy lift pad and PCC pavement, enabling high-capacity load handling and diverse cargo operations.

During construction, DWK monitored inclinometers to track sheet pile wall movements, conducted dynamic pile analysis (PDA) to assess the performance of steel piles, and provided construction observation and testing services.

The redevelopment of the Tradepoint Atlantic East-West Berth into a modern maritime facility highlights DWK’s capability in delivering geotechnical solutions for large-scale infrastructure projects in challenging soil conditions.