Coastal Engineering Services
BlueShore Engineering specializes in Coastal Engineering: The planning, engineering, and design of structures along the shoreline of rivers, estuaries, harbors, and oceans. It is a unique and challenging discipline as designs must consider the effects of the harsh environment on the structures, for example from wind and wave forces or corrosion. Designs must also considers the impact of the structures on the natural environment.
New or revised coastal structures have to consider a variety of possible impacts, from changes in sedimentation rates, to wave reflection or absorption, and even possible disturbances to Essential Fish Habitats. Our experience can prevent an owner from advancing an unpermittable project. We will help you stay on the right path from concept through construction.
Specific types of Coastal Engineering where BlueShore Engineering can assist you:
- Coastal Structures - Piers, wharves, pile-supported structures, cantilever and tied-back bulkheads, harbor walks, breakwaters, rip-rap and other revetments, boat launch ramps.
- Coastal Modeling - Wind and wave analysis, tidal surge modeling, flood modeling, coastal erosion hazard analysis, sedimentation and erosion, FEMA Coastal Construction requirements.
- Corrosion and Design Life Analysis - Planning the design of structures with sacrificial thickness, cathodic protection, and protective coatings to reduce maintenance requirements and minimize the lifecycle costs of building and maintaining the structure through its design life.
Marine Engineering Services
BlueShore Engineering has helped a number of owners design and build their Marina to meet their needs. You might just need a simple low-freeboard dock for launching your single scull on flat calm mornings on the Housatonic, but we have also designed complex commercial marina renovations, including wave attenuators, ship to shore power, pumpout systems, and boat lift bays.
Our understanding of the difficulty of the permitting process, the environmental forces, and the needs of different vessel types and sizes can help you design the perfect marina for your budget and design life. Our expertise in Coastal Engineering can be applied during the planning stages to minimize siltation, avoiding costly future dredging projects.
Coastal Site Planning
Your waterfront
property is more than just a lawn, a bulkhead, and the water; It is
the connection from the land to the water. It provides
a means for industry to transfer goods from land to water; It is how
you and your friends go from sitting by the pool to cruising Long Island
Sound; It is a place to relax and watch the sun set behind the
Statue of Liberty while others bike along the greenway.
An effective coastal site plan considers the commercial, industrial, and recreational connection between the land and water. It considers how to combine many varied uses at the one location where land and water meet. It considers the impact to the environment. It considers public access and safety.
BlueShore Engineering has the experience to help you plan your waterfront property. From design of the structures and marinas, public access, and vessel mooring, to site utilities. We have worked with many award-winning landscape architects to bring aesthetic value, art, and beauty to your site through proper native plantings, hardscapes, interpretive signage, wetlands protection and mitigation, and even original artworks.
Example Projects:
We have designed ship lifts to haul out ships for repairs, kayak beaches for comfortable launching at parks, and simple rip-rap shoreline protection to reduce erosion problems while dissipating waves and minimizing wave reflection. The following are examples of our experience in coastal design:
- Ship Lift Piers
Design and construction inspections of steel sheet pile bulkhead, lift piers, and side transfer foundations. - Pier Park
Design and planning for conversion of industrial waterfront space to public park space. - Quiet Harbor and Kayak Launch
Conversion of brownfields and a dilapidated small-boat marina to a quiet harbor for human-powered vessels with a walkable public-access kayak launch.