Thompson Engineering provided program management, planning and permitting, engineering design, architectural services, and construction management and quality control services for the design and construction of the Michael C. Dow Mobile Landing. Mobile Landing is a twelve-acre mixed-use complex on the Mobile River consisting of a cruise terminal servicing Carnival Cruise Lines, a waterfront public access park, and a world-class maritime museum.
The City of Mobile set out to expand public access to the city’s neglected waterfront property in a strategic manner through a number of planning meetings. Thompson Engineering assisted the city in developing a master plan. The development involved master planning and concept design, land acquisition, right-of-way, zoning, hazardous materials remediation, demolition, site development, and design-bid-build and design-build methods for new construction.
Phase I: In 2000, the City of Mobile authorized the development of the first phase of Mobile Landing featuring a newdock for ceremonial docking space, riverfront pedestrian promenade, amphitheater, bandstand, fountain, vehicle parking, internal street system, security, lighting, and landscaped open space for the public. This phase of the project required demolition of existing structures and removal of abandoned debris and constructing a new bulkhead that would tie into the southern terminus of the existing Cooper Riverside Park’s bulkhead. The bulkhead was critical in assuring a stable landmass available for future development. The structure was designed to accommodate large ocean going vessels with a nominal forty feet of draft and has mooring appurtenances sufficient to dock several smaller vessels concurrently. The bulkhead stabilized the site from future erosion and soil failures typical of low lying riverfront property. The stabilization allowed the landmass to accommodate buildings of moderate footprint yet significant vertical extent. The promenade was architecturally designed using typical red brick pavers and mortar materials to match the historic Ft. Conde District in downtown Mobile.
Phase II: In February 2004, the Mobile City Council approved a contract to build a $20-million cruise ship terminal. The project included a 60,000 sf terminal facility and a three-level elevated parking deck to accommodate 550 vehicles. In a design-build contract, Thompson Engineering provided design, construction coordination, and construction surveillance services for this fast-track project. The construction cost for this phase was $18-million, $2-million under budget, partially due to the engineering design of a custom passenger gangway for half the cost of purchasing a typical prefabricated gangway. The Alabama Cruise Ship Terminal was selected for the 2006 Engineering Excellence Grand Award by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), Alabama.
Phase III: The City of Mobile partnered with GulfQuest, the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, to construct a 90,000 sf interactive museum. Thompson Engineering servedas Engineer of Record on the project. It provides an example of our ability to provide in-house, full service architecture/engineering design capabilities for challenging multidiscipline projects.
client
CITY OF MOBILE
location
MOBILE, ALABAMA
market
STATE & LOCAL
Service Specialties
- CIVIL
- STRUCTURAL
- GEOTECHNICAL
- MARINE
- SURVEYING
- COMPLIANCE
- DRILLING
- LABORATORY TESTING
- CONSTRUCTION INSPECTION & MATERIALS TESTING
- PLANNING
