Soldier Pile Walls, Soil Nails and Dewatering: Why Are They Needed?

Contractors and engineers are rarely surprised when project plans start off with the need to retain a drilling company to perform highly specialized work. Homeowners and clients who are paying the bills, however, may find it unusual that their above-ground structures call for work below the earth’s surface before other phases can progress. There are some very good reasons for why a contractor may request the creation of a soldier pile wall, a structure requiring soil nails or even a process that involves dewatering. 

Drilling companies are generally called out to job sites before foundations are laid. In residential and commercial scenarios, their job typically calls for stabilizing the ground prior to other construction. In cases where excavations are required, soldier pile walls or soil nails might be used. These structures are designed to hold the earth in place. In doing so, these structures provide stability and safety for the project and its ultimate design. Dewatering might also be called for to ensure safe, more stabilized conditions if drilling takes place below or near the water table.

When soil nails or soldier pile walls are deemed necessary for stabilization, drilling companies are the experts called upon for good reasons. Firms that specialize in this type of construction have the expertise necessary to work in a variety of geological conditions. They understand what it takes to ensure safety and durability in the finished product. In addition, they know which techniques are most required to stop or prevent erosion or landslides, what might be required to ensure a large above-ground structure stands tall and more.

When drilling companies are called upon by contractors to stabilize job sites, perform dewatering and create soldier pile walls, their below-ground work essentially ensures success for everything else that is yet to come.