Geogrid bags provide shallow water habitat in Seattle

Marine mattress installation for new Elliott Bay Seawall

Why do marine animals need mattresses? A marine mattress, a geogrid bag filled with stone, will provide a shallow water habitat along the new Elliott Bay Seawall in Seattle. This is especially important for small fish, including migrating juvenile salmon.

The seven-year reconstruction project that started in 2010 is installing these mattresses as well as sidewalks with glass blocks, textured wall faces, and marine benches to improve the habitat along the new seawall.

Editor’s note: Interested in reading more about geosynthetic materials and marine mattresses? Make sure you read—“Case studies highlight marine mattress applications”—in the October/November issue of Geosynthetics magazine, in print or online-available here or in your mailbox the first part of October.
–Ron Bygness

Source: Seattle Department of Transportation