Location: Spring Creek, Mobile Alabama USA
Project Owner: City of Mobile
Project Engineers: Volkert & Associates
Contractor: SJ&L Construction
Project Dates: 2002

Spring Creek drainage improvements were designed to lower the water elevation within the channel and to prevent the continued severe erosion along the channel throughout the drainage basin. Work included a sediment clean-out basin, deepening and widening the existing channel to increase capacity and the construction of an approximately 7,600 cubic yard gabion wall and scour apron to stabilize the bank and to prevent undercutting.

Gabions were the perfect choice in this project to accommodate the many natural curves of Spring Creek. The first step of the gabion installation was a 12-inch high, 12-foot wide gabion scour protection apron constructed atop a geotextile filter blanket and and 18 inches of gravel. Banks on each side of the creek were lined with gabion gravity walls varying in size from 6 to 9 feet high and 4.5 to 6 feet wide at the base. Along the front exposed face of these walls, each course was setback 1.5 feet. The entire structure was constructed from rollstock eliminating unnecessary joints for a stronger and more uniform structure.