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Geotechnical
Engineering

We design foundations, earth structures, and pavement subgrades with a focus on public infrastructure projects giving us detailed knowledge and enabling superior results. We reliably deliver satisfaction through a relentless focus on people skills and business processes.

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Geotechnical Services

Our deep understanding of public infrastructure project delivery, superior engineering knowledge and relevant experience is crucial but is not enough. We go past boilerplate solutions, through listening, to understand the specific project and client success drivers. HVJ reliably delivers what is needed, when it is needed, by anticipating problems to avoid them, taking ownership, and keeping commitments.

Foundation Design

Design of the subsurface portion of bridges, buildings, and other structures to support the required loads with tolerable settlement.

Deep Foundations

Designing drilled shaft, driven pile, and auger cast pile foundations to support heavy foundation loads and/or reduce foundation settlement to tolerable levels.

Shallow Foundations

Designing spread footings and/or mat foundations  to support the required loads at tolerable settlement levels.

Retaining Walls

Design of earth retention for cut, fill, or combined locations through Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE), Cast-in-place concrete, drilled shaft, tieback, or soil nail retaining walls.

Slope Stability

Assessing the stability of existing or proposed slopes, retaining walls, and structures and designing to address project requirements or right-of-way restrictions

Slope Failure Repair

Evaluating the cause of slope failure and designing measures to stabilize slope movement using geogrid, sheet pile, and other methods.

Settlement Analysis/Design

Assessing the amount of settlement a foundation, retaining wall, bridge, abutment, or other structure will experience and the time rate of settlement.  Designing measures to reduce settlement to tolerable levels.

Shrink-Swell Soils

Assessing the impact of shrink-swell soils on foundations and slopes and designing measures to reduce shrink-swell movements to tolerable levels.

Fault Studies

Assessing the risk of fault movement damage and recommending measures to reduce the impact of fault movement on structures, utilities, and/or pavement.

Pavement Design

Design of the pavement structure for road, parking, transit, port, and aviation facilities to support the expected traffic.

Pavement Rehabilitation

Assessing the cause of existing pavement distress and designing cost effective maintenance or rehabilitation strategies

Subgrade Stabilization

Designing improvement to the soil immediately under a pavement to reduce shrink-swell movement and/or improve the stiffness and durability of the subgrade through replacing with better material or mixing with cement, lime, flyash, or a combination.

Dredge Placement Area Design

Evaluating the remaining capacity of dredge placement and beneficial use sites for hydraulic dredging considering foundation settlement, current and future dike height, and dredge source material using U.S Army Corp of Engineers SETTLE and PSDDF software.

Wharf Design

Designing wharf facilities to achieve the water depth, crane load,  and deck load requirements for the facility with adequate global stability.

Featured Geotechnical Projects

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Bayport Terminal-thumb

Increasing Capacity for Port Houston: Bayport Wharf 7

As the perfect gateway for import and distribution of finished automotive vehicles, Port Houston saw double-digit growth in containers this past year while the global supply chain continued to experience significant challenges. This triggered immediate need for constructing a new wharf at Bayport Terminal,

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exterior rh courtyard

Design Through Construction at UNT System Joe Greene Hall

The University of North Texas System identified a need to add space for student housing on the growing Denton campus in 2016. In response, they initiated a project to build a 500-bed residence hall for freshman residents to open for students in the fall of 2019.

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HVJ Broadway Case Study

Design Build Reduces Disruption in Historic San Antonio

The City of San Antonio initiated a $24 million Design-Build project on Broadway Street from E. Houston Street to IH-35. The project is part of the City’s 2017 Proposition 1 Bond Package which allocates $42 million to reconstruction of the Broadway corridor with...

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Get in touch with one of HVJ's geotechnical experts

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Meet the Team

Mike Hasen - HVJ Associates

Mike Hasen

Technical Leader/ Geotechnical and OVTI Subject Matter Expert

Mr. Hasen is the organization’s technical leader with special expertise in dredging and Owner Verification Testing and Inspection.

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Jason Schwarz - HVJ Associates

Jason Schwarz

Vice President - Operations

Mr. Schwarz provides operations and technical leadership and is the geotechnical and CoMET subject matter expert in South Central Texas.

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Hossam Esmail - HVJ Associates

Hossam Esmail

Senior Vice President

Mr. Esmail manages all operations with extensive experience in geotechnical engineering for highway and municipal projects.

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HVJNTx photo_S Ahmed, square

Saheem Ahmed

Vice President

Mr. Ahmed manages geotechnical operations and is the geotechnical engineering subject matter expert for North Texas.

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