Sitting on the iconic River Mersey, Liverpool will welcome visitors to a new cruise terminal of international standard which is being developed as part of the £5bn Liverpool Waters development scheme.
AECOM designed and managed the site investigation, for the proposed Cruise Liner Terminal Structure and associated 4-star hotel complex which included:
- The development of a Phase 1 Desk Study
- Defining the ground investigation structure and documentation production
- Project planning, consenting and subcontract management
- Geotechnical and geo-environmental supervision of all investigation works
- Quality control of all factual information
The aim of the site investigation was to provide data on ground and groundwater conditions for the design of a piled foundation solution and cantilever deck structure, on which the New Cruise Liner Terminal will proudly sit. A technically-complex ground investigation was devised for this highly anthropogenically-altered and complex site and comprised the following:
- An initial phase of overwater geophysics and UXO management
- Nearshore and on land intrusive investigations and monitoring
- Downhole in-situ testing
- Associated geotechnical and geo-environmental testing
The proposed Liner Terminal Structure design includes a suspended deck, supported on steel piles with two rows of end-bearing piles, one in the River Mersey, the other within reclaimed land. This with associated facilities will enable the city to welcome the world’s largest cruise ships to the UNESCO listed World Heritage waterfront and increase the city’s appeal as a tourist destination.
By avoiding an off-the-shelf approach to site investigation and identifying the end-user’s needs, the ground investigation was successfully tailored to the proposed foundation design solution. This tailored approach involved the implementation of innovative investigative methods including, high-pressure dilatometer at pile socket depths, a cross hole seismic survey to determine elastic moduli profiles within the weathered bedrock, an overwater Multi-channel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) survey to identify the 3D spatial extent of seabed strata and, a suite of downhole geophysics to confirm rock mass characteristics.
The City has seen a phenomenal amount of investment and development over the last 10 years with the Liverpool Waters scheme transforming the city. The first phase of £1 billion of investment is already completed and the phase 2 comprises of a further £1 billion of investment with planning permission in place; the remaining 3 phases total £3 billion.
The New Cruise Liner Terminal will form part of a 60 hectare historic dockland site to create a world class Princes Dock, mixed use waterfront quarter in central Liverpool, adjacent to Liverpool’s UNESCO World Heritage Site.