TagEarthquake(16)

This document examines the geotechnical effects of the February 28, 2001 Nisqually earthquake on earth structures in the Olympia, South Seattle, and Tacoma, Washington area. It covers damage observations including landslides along Highway 101, failures of road and railroad embankments, performance of mechanically stabilized earth retaining walls, and the condition of solid waste landfills following the quake. One notable slide near the State Road 8 junction involved a 15-20 meter high embankment that collapsed and sent debris flowing approximately 150 meters downslope.

This document is a professional curriculum vitae for Edward Kavazanjian, Jr., a Principal at GeoSyntec Consultants specializing in earthquake engineering, geotechnical engineering, and landfill engineering. He holds a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and has extensive experience in seismic analysis, design, and hazard mitigation for major infrastructure projects across the United States and internationally. Note: This document does not appear to be directly related to Sea-Tac Airport noise policy.

Draft memorandum dated January 17, 2002 from Hart Crowser engineers Doug Lindquist, Reda Mikhail, and Michael Bailey to Jim Thomson (HNTB Corporation), project number 4978-40, regarding FLAC (finite difference model) seismic analysis of three proposed mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls for the Third Runway project at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Analyses cover four wall sections

Hart Crowser, Inc. geotechnical summary report prepared for the Port of Seattle for presentation to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Seattle District), dated November 2, 2001, project number 4978-06. Covers design of the Third Runway embankment and three mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls (50–135 feet height) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (STIA). Addresses 17,000,000

In August 2001, GeoSyntec Consultants submitted technical comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Washington State Department of Ecology raising serious concerns about the geotechnical safety analyses for the proposed Third Runway expansion at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The firm identified multiple flaws in the design work performed by the Port of Seattle's consultants, including underestimation of earthquake risk, incorrect seismic stability analyses, and overestimation of post-earthquake soil stability. GeoSyntec concluded that the Port's consultants had not adequately demonstrated that the embankment fill and retaining wall structures would perform safely under anticipated seismic loads over the facility's lifetime.

Draft memorandum dated May 14, 2001, from Douglas Lindquist (E.I.T.) and Michael Bailey (P.E.) of Hart Crowser, Inc. to Pete Douglass (P.E.) and Embankment Technical Review Board (ETRB), CC Jim Thomson (P.E.) HNTB, project 4978-30. Describes proposed liquefaction potential evaluation procedure for areas beneath walls and slopes of the Third Runway embankment at Sea-Tac Airport.

Memorandum from Michael Bailey, P.E., Hart Crowser, Inc. to Jim Thomson, P.E., HNTB Corporation, dated March 26, 2001, documenting post-earthquake reconnaissance at the Sea-Tac Airport (STIA) Third Runway Project site (project J-4978-06) following the February 28, 2001, Nisqually earthquake. Two reconnaissance visits on March 1 and March 2, 2001 by Hart Crowser engineers Doug Lindquist

Hart Crowser memorandum (J-4978-19) from Michael Bailey, P.E., to Port Of Seattle attn. Michael J. Cheyne, CC HNTB attn. Jim Thomson, P.E., dated March 26, 2001, summarizing MSE (Mechanically Stabilized Earth) wall performance during the February 28 Nisqually earthquake. Discusses two MSE walls identified by Helsell Fetterman (Eglick & Stock 3/20/01) and GeoSyntec (3/15/01) as

Following the Nisqually earthquake of February 28, 2001, GeoSyntec Consultants wrote to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Washington State Department of Ecology raising serious concerns about the seismic safety of the proposed Third Runway expansion at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The letter highlighted that the earthquake caused damage to mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls and widespread liquefaction despite being only a moderate event, reinforcing earlier warnings about flaws in the project's seismic design criteria and ground motion analysis. GeoSyntec argued that the airport's role as a regional emergency lifeline demands higher safety standards than those applied to ordinary residential structures.