Nicholson is part of a joint venture that has more than $80 million in contracts to secure the World Trade Center site.

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If one were to compare the civil sector to the U.S. military, then the excavating, grading and paving contractors are the ground troops, willing to battle any unforeseen soil conditions that challenge their mission. The marine contractors are like the Navy; they’ll take on any obstacle – land or sea – that other builders wouldn’t dare go near.    

Then, there’s the few, the proud – the geotechnical contactors, who are called to the site to conquer the most complicated ground challenges known to man. Nicholson Construction Co. has set the industry standard for performance and geotechnical innovation since its inception in 1955.   

The Cuddy, Pa.-based company provides foundation support, earth retention systems, and ground treatment and improvement services to strengthen structures and groundwater cutoffs, often through design/build contracts. “It’s specialist foundation work,” explains Richard Crockford, regional manager for the firm’s New York office. “Once things start getting complicated, we get interested.”

Prestigious Work
Although Nicholson operates on a national level through eight district offices, New York City continues to be its strongest market – “even in a time of recession,” President Andrew Walker notes. The company has worked there for more than 25 years, but established a permanent office following the 9/11 attacks, he says.  

In addition to its direct involvement in the World Trade Center recovery efforts, Nicholson continues to work at Ground Zero through a joint venture with Holmdel, N.J.-based EE Cruz & Company Inc.

The two firms have more than $80 million worth of contracts to stabilize and support the site.

“Although it’s a very difficult place to work – the site is so busy and politically charged – we’ve managed to do some very interesting work,” Crockford says.   

Its other high-profile projects include:

• The North Shore Connector in Pittsburgh, where the firm used its Cutter Soil Mix (CSM), which mixed the ground using two rotating wheels in order to form impermeable watertight walls;
• Abingdon Heights in Arlington, Va., where Nicholson used barrettes or load-bearing elements, which are excavated rectangular piles that are similar to diaphragm wall panels to resist overturning moments and thus provide permanent excavation support in an innovative design/build wall;
• U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C., where the company constructed a 130,000-square-foot reinforced diaphragm wall to allow cuts in excess of 50 feet immediately adjacent to this historic structure. It also installed 380 feet of jet grout wall at the Senate tunnel. 
• The Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore, where Nicholson is providing a foundation below the water table of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The design required a 95,000-square-foot diaphragm wall for excavation support and protection from seawater infiltration. 
• City Creek Center – Block 76 in Salt Lake City, where the company constructed a 45,000-square-foot diaphragm wall and a 120,000-square-foot soil nail wall. In addition, Nicholson underpinned three buildings with 104 micropiles and installed more than 700 feet of jet grout wall for water control.