Événement

ASCE Seattle Section Geotechnical Group - September 2019 Dinner Meeting

Stabilization of the Bluffs at Pointe du Hoc, Normandy, France

John R. Wolosick, P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE Director
Hayward Baker, Inc.

On D-day, June 6, 1944, an Army Ranger battalion led by Colonel James Earl Rudder was tasked with taking Point du Hoc in Normandy, France. It was a tough battle, with about 100 Rangers losing their lives while scaling the cliff and capturing the remaining Germans. The site is now a highly visited landmark, with about 750,000 people visiting per year.

Due to the harsh weather and rough seas in this area, the cliffs have receded about 10 meters since 1944. This erosion threatened the stability of an historic German Observation Post, which had to be closed to the public due to the danger of its immediate proximity to the cliffs.

A team of engineers headed by Texas A&M University performed geotechnical and geological investigations, recommended fixes with cost estimates and established instrumentation to monitor the OP and the cliff. The presentation presents the history of the site along with the results of the investigation, repair recommendations and a presentation of the final construction works.

John R. Wolosick is Director of Engineering for Hayward Baker Inc., Atlanta, Georgia. From this home base, he works on projects all across the USA. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has more than 37 years of experience in Geotechnical Engineering and Contracting. John is the author of more than 35 technical papers. Mr. Wolosick is the recipient of the 2008 ASCE Geo-Institute Martin S. Kapp Foundation Engineering Award. He is the immediate Past-President of the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI 2014-2016). John is the former Co-Chair the ADSC/DFI Micropile committee (2004-2007). He is also a member of the ASCE Earth Retaining Structures committee and Past-Chair of the ASCE Georgia Section Geotechnical Committee (2003-2005). Mr. Wolosick was named the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers Engineer of the Year Industry in 2017 and received the George F. Sowers Award from the Georgia ASCE/Geo-Institute in 2019.