Wagman Geotechnical Construction Project

Arlington National Cemetery

Posted by Alyssa Girouard
July 2016
July 2016
November 2015 Lagging system for upper tiered wall #6

  • Location

    Arlington, VA

  • Duration

    October 2015 - September 2016

  • Owner

    Army Corps of Engineers

Wagman Geotechnical Construction group’s contract included design and construction services for the earth retention system, utilizing tiebacks, soldier piles and lagging for the expansion project at Arlington National Cemetery’s Millennium project. Wagman utilized cranes and piling hammers and equipment to drive nearly 100 piles up to 30’ deep into the soft, clay soils. Tiebacks were installed on a tiered system for two separate walls to retain the earth for the stepped columbarium terraced walls that were constructed along curved pathways. Wagman worked diligently with the Army Corps of Engineers Geotechnical unit on the project. Wagman’s portion of the excavation support was completed by late summer 2016.

Key Challenges & Project Details

  • Material was failing due to poor soil conditions. Wagman designed an additional shoring tier to support the unsuitable soils, which was required for the addition of a wall onsite.
  • Tiebacks were upwards of 80’ long to pass through the failure plane of the material.
  • The project adds nearly 30,000 burial and niche sites to the Arlington Veteran cemetery.
  • A hydraulic crane was used to install the piles on a tight bench.