Westbrook is pleased to offer local high school seniors a chance at our scholarship if pursuing civil engineering at an accredited four-year college or university. The form has also been sent out to all local high school counselors. The criteria are the following:

Criteria:

• Planned entry or eligibility for entry into a full-time undergraduate study at an accredited four-year college or university with a declared major of Civil Engineering.
• The scholarship will be paid to the student following successful completion of the 1st semester and proof of enrollment of the 2nd semester.

Submit, along with your high school transcripts, to Westbrook Associated Engineers, Inc., Attn: Malissa Dischler, 619 East Hoxie Street, PO Box 429, Spring Green, WI 53588
Or e-mail to Malissa at mdischler@westbrookeng.com

Wishing you all high school seniors a fantastic year! Make the best of it!

Recently Microsoft started construction on two new data centers in Hoffman Estates, IL. Stalworth partnered with Westbrook for the design of two soil nail walls to serve as earth retention systems (ERS) at the site. Prior to construction, the 53-acre site was an undeveloped plot which required leveling and ground preparation. At the west side of the site, (2) permanent earth retention systems were required in order to provide level grade near the property line. Westbrook’s experience in construction engineering includes Soil Nail Walls for both temporary and permanent applications.

Soil nail walls are typically installed starting at the top of the excavation, and are constructed in layers as the excavation proceeds down to the bottom. In a soil nail wall Earth Retention System (ERS), the shotcrete face holds the soil in place between the soil nails. The soil nails are drilled at a downward angle into the soil behind the facing and are held in place by grouting. The regularly spaced nails hold the soil together as a single composite mass to prevent movement.

Together, Westbrook and Stalworth, designed and installed over 6,600 square feet of wall, with approximately 325 soil nails, while accommodating for existing site conditions and future site drainage plans. Design and construction also included testing procedures and review for the as-built conditions.

CTH JB over Fox River in Kenosha County, WI is a three-span prestressed girder bridge with a reinforced concrete deck 204-feet in length. Large spalls and extensive cracking in the existing bridge deck prompted an emergency inspection in September 2021. This inspection resulted in shutting down the roadway due to excessive delamination of the deck and section loss of the reinforcing steel. Westbrook was hired by the County to expedite a bridge deck replacement design. The project was bid in January and construction was underway by the end of March 2022. Westbrook’s duties on this project consisted of emergency inspection, developing design plans and bidding documents, and on-site construction inspection. The CTH JB over Fox River bridge deck replacement was completed on schedule and within budget.

The Chicago Harbor Lock, near downtown Chicago, is the transition point between Lake Michigan and the Chicago River for a variety of commercial and recreational vessels. The lock allows vessels to transit from the Chicago River’s stable elevation to Lake Michigan’s fluctuating elevation with ease.

The Harbor Lock is undergoing a series of renovations to maintain and improve the current facilities. J.F. Brennan Company is working with the Army Corps of Engineers to construct repairs to the Lock walls and floor. Westbrook and J.F. Brennan have teamed up to creatively engineer a quick and cost efficient repair plan.

The as-built plans for the Lock date back to 1936. The plans detailed Precast Concrete Panels to cover the floor of the lock. Over the 85+ years, these panels have shifted and settled unevenly presenting a hazard to high-draft boats and barges. Westbrook is using 3-D Contour Scans, and LIDAR Bathymetry data (provided by J.F. Brennan) in combination with the existing plans, to determine the extent of settlement, scour, and shifting that has occurred at the lock floor. From this data, we are assisting J.F. Brennan in creating an accurate means-and-methods plan to facilitate the repairs and partial replacement of the Chicago Harbor Lock floor. Anchored precast and cast-in-place elements will be incorporated into the design.