Construction Consulting
Chris Ryan brings 45 years of actual construction experience to all of his assignments. Just a short summary would be:
- Founded and led two specialty geotechnical and environmental construction companies that worked nationwide and internationally.
- Responsible for thousands of cost estimates.
- Built over 1000 projects including slurry cut-off walls, in situ soil mixing, grouting, soil improvement and many other specialized technologies.
- Conducted over 200 design mix studies to find appropriate blends of soils and reagents to meet the requirements of civil and environmental projects
Selected Construction Consulting Assignments
Support of the Contractor Team – Portland OR
Working for many years as part of the Contractor team on a major design-construct project for a contaminated industrial site. The project involves record-setting deep barrier walls and large amounts of In Situ Stabilization of contaminated soils on land and in a river using large diameter augers.
Support of Design Team Soil Bentonite Slurry Wall Project - Palm Beach County, FL.
Assisted the Owner’s design team in writing of specifications for a difficult soli-bentonite slurry wall through a rock profile, following up with support of submittal reviews and other technical issues through construction.
Field Supervision of Biopolymer Trench Construction –Portland, OR
Provided on-site technical assistance during the construction of a difficult biopolymer drain for collection of contaminated groundwater on a former MGP site.
Design Mix Assistance and Support of Site Engineering Team —Soil Mixing– Harrison, NJ
Supported contractor engineering team in the development of stabilization mixes for a large soil mixing project and a soil-mixed wall on the same site. Coal tar contamination remediation on a former MGP site.
Support of Engineering Team—Slurry Wall Construction –Homestead, FL
Assisted the Owner’s design team in the concept development for a vertical barrier water to isolate a limestone mine from the groundwater surrounding the site. The project was a 75 ft deep, 2-mile-long soil bentonite slurry wall excavated through hard rock with the assistance of blasting.
Support of Engineering Team Slurry Wall Construction –LaBelle, FL
Assisted in concept development, cost estimating, and specification development for a 16 mile long slurry wall through a new dam for water storage. A second contract keeps him involved as a subject matter specialist assisting the engineering team through the construction period.
Support of Engineering Team, Methods for Leaky Dam Repair –Manatee County, FL
Assisted the engineering team in evaluating the failure of previous repair attempts and in selecting technologies to repair leaks and voids under and around a concrete spillway structure in a large earth dam used for water supply in western Florida.
Construction Method Selection—Slurry Wall and Collection Drain – Northwest NM
Participated in negotiations between an industrial concern and an environmental group. The issue concerned placement of cost-effective groundwater containment and collection systems and the negotiation of equitable and effective future evaluation methods for the efficacy of those systems. Chris Ryan provided technical support in the drafting and negotiation of a consent decree.
Slurry Wall Containment Construction –Yunnan Province, China.
Chris Ryan traveled to a remote industrial site where a landfill was leaching contaminated water into the local groundwater. A specialty contractor was attempting to install a complex composite barrier with a vertically jointed liner installed inside a slurry trench. There were a number of difficulties experienced, with resultant gaps in the enclosure. Chris Ryan provided a list of recommendations for improvements in field operations to ensure better quality for the remaining work.
MGP Site Remediation –Santa Rosa, CA.
Chris Ryan participated on a pre-project planning panel that recommended systems for source treatment and containment at a former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) site. The source area was to be treated with soil mixing and then surrounded with a jet grout barrier to mitigate environmental impacts to local groundwater environment. Additional pre-project consulting involved assisting with concept development and project budgeting.
Method Selection and Consultation with Design Team –Seattle, WA.
Subconsultant to design team for replacement of old seawall in the downtown Seattle tourist district. The specific problem was soil liquefaction during potential earthquake. The solution involved a major jet grouting and soil mixing project. Chris Ryan worked with a very large design team to develop the methods and detailed specifications in preparation for contractor bids.
Assistance with Design Concept and Quality Control Implementation –Pelham, NY.
Chris Ryan assisted the design team with concept development, design mixes, project budgets, contract administration, project specifications for a jet grouted barrier to the migration of coal tar wastes from a former MGP site.
Implementation of Barrier Wall Concepts for Seepage Control Under Levees –South Florida.
Chris Ryan participated on several projects throughout the region where vertical barriers were planned for stopping seepage into or out out of water supply canals. Some of the projects involved difficult ground conditions such as highly porous limerock and special construction methods were required.
Contact Chris Ryan
