However, with masonry breaking off now in places and damage to some of the joints, the 500m long beach front wall is currently being reinforced section by section.
The essential reinforcement work is being achieved by erecting 2.2m wide, 4.4m high, pre-cast, 13t, reinforced concrete elements, directly in front of the old seawall. Each element is held in place by two 18m deep tie backs, drilled at angles into the ground acting like giant dowels.
Hamburg-based Neidhardt Grundbau GmbH installed the tie backs on two sections of the wall using the overburden method. The rig used for this project was a Klemm KR 805-3G rig with flushing head. The rig was used to install 130 GEWI grouted 40 / 50 DKS piles, with a total drilling length of 2,188 running metres.
The reinforcement of the entire seawall is expected to cost around €10 million (US$11 million) with an estimated completion date in 2023. Once the work is completed it will protect Westerland and its people against future tidal waves.
