Kevin Pendergast, the owner of Titan Shoring & Construction LLC, has been a Danbro Installer for the past eight years, but his history with IDEAL goes back further. IDEAL did not have much representation in the Philadelphia/South Jersey market, so Titan hooked up with them in 2014 to establish a foothold at the Jersey Shore. Titan’s first significant job was a walkway for the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, NJ. Since then, Titan has expanded its helical business to include every conceivable tension and compression application. They have worked in the private sector, as well as the Public/Government sector. Their work in the Public/Government sector includes projects for the Atlantic City Housing Authority, the Ventnor, NJ and Hartford, CT Departments of Public Works, and municipalities including Avalon, Brigantine, and Cape May barrier islands. They perform their own Load Tests and Danbro and others have hired them to do independent third-party testing. Avalon Load Test Photo 002
Avalon Fire Station Expansion – Load Test – Danbro Distributors
Recently, Titan returned to a wetland environment to install helicals for a walkway for the City of Cape May and their elementary school. Cape May is a very ecofriendly town with beaches, parks, and multiple environmental walkways. The Lafayette Trail, behind the school, is open to the public and very accessible to students and faculty to commune with nature and refresh their spirits.
Walkways always present logistical challenges because you are working in an environmentally sensitive area. Both the City and NJ DEP have strict requirements and regulations for work in wetlands. Engineering Design Associates, the engineer of record, has extensive experience working in this environment and aided in dotting the “i”s and crossing the “t”s, thereby smoothing the permitting process.
Helical piles were chosen as the deep foundation element due to the low impact of installation. Marsh mats were utilized to minimize the damage from the CAT 308 (mid-size) excavator. Helicals are also wetlands friendly as the material will not leach any chemicals into the soil, which can occur with treated timber. The design called for helicals (IDEAL 2 7/8” .203 wall) to 30’ to achieve a minimum of 5,400 Ft. lbs. torque. The piles were 8’ to 9’ above grade, so the helicals were terminated just above grade and encased in concrete forms to eliminate batter piles as this proved to be a more cost-effective approach. Despite logistical and regulatory constraints, 354 helicals were installed, sometimes in unfavorable weather conditions, by the end of January 2025. The entire project with Massett Construction, the general contractor, took six months to complete, finishing in June 2025, just in time for the summer tourist season!
Titan Construction returned to the wetlands and its initial IDEAL helical roots to install a walkway known as the Lafayette Trail. As you can see from the aerial photo, this scenic, meandering trail begins and ends looping behind school grounds where students will learn to appreciate the importance of preserving the natural environment and come to understand its restorative effects.
No comments yet.