The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) selected TranSystems to serve as the prime designer and engineer of record for the Skyway Wave Attenuation design-build project. FDOT, District 1 was faced with an urgent need to protect the existing seawalls running along the Skyway’s South Fishing Pier’s access road. In looking for a solution FDOT, District 1 advertised a design-build project that mandated the design and construction of two breakwaters, 1180’ and 1512’ long, that would attenuate a minimum of 70% of wave energy and rise to a minimum elevation of approximately three feet above the waterline.
With regular coordination and engagement with the Department during the project development, TranSystems designed, permitted, and constructed two breakwaters to provide wave attenuation to prevent erosion of the recently repaired seawall and fishing pier access road, as well as allow seagrass growth behind the breakwaters to satisfy future seagrass mitigation needs to protect the Tampa Bay marine estuary. Leading to the project’s success was the utilization of 8.5′ and 10.5′ Wave Attenuating Devices (WADs), that provide the sustainability and durability necessary to withstand extremely aggressive marine environments while promoting growth on all surfaces and the surrounding habitat. Despite roughly 20 years of being used in various locations around the country, FDOT’s use of the WADs for this project marks the first time any state or federal-level agency in the U.S. has deployed them. The design team’s use of the WADs system versus a more traditional breakwater has proven to be a faster, better, and cheaper method of constructing breakwaters while exceeding the wave attenuation requirements for the project.
