Interlocking Concrete Block Pavements At Howland Hook Marine Terminal

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has constructed the first port pavement in North America that includes both impermeable and permeable interlocking concrete block pavements for container handling equipment. Located in the northwest corner of Staten Island in New York City, the Howland Hook Marine Terminal expanded the existing container yard by approximately 5 ha (12 acres) in an area with a subgrade that is subject to failure due the presence of gypsum. Interlocking concrete block pavement (ICBP) was selected for resistance to container loads, particularly damage at corner castings, and because of the potential subgrade problems. The Port Authority and several other American ports have constructed millions of square feet of pavement with ICBP. They are frequently used for overseas ports, and are now an established option for ports in North America. The pavement design was for a 20-year service life of the current grounded container yard that uses chassis (highway and off-road) to move container between the yard and the ship, and top picks and lift trucks at the 4-high container stacks. The container handling equipment can result in dual wheel axle loads of 97,500 kg (215,000 lb) excluding dynamic forces. The stacked containers can result in point loads of up to 23,000 kg (50,000 lb) at each corner casting at the bottom container. A unique aspect of this project was the inclusion of an installation of 0.1 ha (0.25 acres) of permeable interlocking concrete block pavement (PICBP) that can be utilized to demonstrate the structural, hydraulic and water quality enhancement properties of PICBP. Permeable pavement is one of several strategies that will be considered for meeting water quality requirements that are anticipated for many future major expansions of existing facilities or for new port facilities. This paper presents information on the selection, design, and construction of the ICBP and PICBP and the experience during the initial container yard operations.