Tidal Basin - Washington DC - 1915
The seawalls around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., are going to get a wholesale makeover.
The Tidal Basin sea wall was rebuilt in the 1930s (repairs stopped in 1941, due to World War II). Wooden piles were driven into the mud, and the stone wall built atop them.
The pilings were not long enough to reach bedrock, however, and the sea wall began to settle. By 2000, the sea wall had sunk by three to four feet all around the Tidal Basin.
By 2000, however, climate change and sinking seawall meant that parts of the land around the Tidal Basin were regularly underwater every day at high tide. Trails and sidewalks were rerouted, but the problem was not addressed.
In 2010, the National Park Service spent $12 million to repair the sea wall in front of the Jefferson Memorial. The sea wall and pilings were removed, and new concrete pilings and caissons resting on bedrock installed. The sea wall was then rebuilt.
Now, additional parts of the area around the Tidal Basin are underwater a couple of times a month, whenever tides are particularly high. The worry is that the historic cherry trees around the Tidal Basin will die if inundated.
Tidal Basin - Washington DC - 1915
The seawalls around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., are going to get a wholesale makeover.
The Tidal Basin sea wall was rebuilt in the 1930s (repairs stopped in 1941, due to World War II). Wooden piles were driven into the mud, and the stone wall built atop them.
The pilings were not long enough to reach bedrock, however, and the sea wall began to settle. By 2000, the sea wall had sunk by three to four feet all around the Tidal Basin.
By 2000, however, climate change and sinking seawall meant that parts of the land around the Tidal Basin were regularly underwater every day at high tide. Trails and sidewalks were rerouted, but the problem was not addressed.
In 2010, the National Park Service spent $12 million to repair the sea wall in front of the Jefferson Memorial. The sea wall and pilings were removed, and new concrete pilings and caissons resting on bedrock installed. The sea wall was then rebuilt.
Now, additional parts of the area around the Tidal Basin are underwater a couple of times a month, whenever tides are particularly high. The worry is that the historic cherry trees around the Tidal Basin will die if inundated.