The City of Pahokee is located in western Palm Beach County on the eastern shore of Lake Okeechobee. The soils in this region consist of a 4- to 6-foot-thick layer of muck over a layer of limestone. Due to the unstable nature of the muck soils, roads that have been built in the City in the past experience excessive settling due to the oxidation and decomposition of the muck soils.

McClure Road, which is located in a residential neighborhood, has experienced excessive settlement due to a combination of the muck soils and lacking a limestone or shell rock base/sub-base to control the settlement. In addition to the road experiencing excessive settlement, pavement sloughing along the edge of the pavement and complete deterioration of the asphalt driving surface has occurred, as well as structural failures of the underground utilities (water distribution, wastewater collection, and stormwater collection systems).

The City of Pahokee engaged WGI to design and permit roadway and utility improvements. These improvements included water and wastewater upgrades, drainage improvements, and swale reconstruction of the roadway, including removing the underlying layer of muck and removing two layers of subgrade and base rock to control and minimize future settlement. Other services included the administration and reporting tasks associated with the grant funding requirements. Funding for the design and construction was made available to the City through a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) SCOP (Small Community Outreach Program) grant and the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department.

Project Highlights

• Design consideration addressed the underlying muck soils supporting local traffic and utilities, including the adjacent drainage and utility improvements.
• The design included a phasing plan to account for local traffic during construction.
• Due to the strict requirements of the grant funding, WGI provided detailed documentation and backup reports to support the costs and timing of the project.
• Underground water and wastewater improvements were incorporated into the design of the roadway to serve the residential communities adjacent to the McClure right-of-way.