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The Erie Canal locks in New York, completed in 1825, were constructed with one- and two-ton blocks on the floor of the locks, supported on a system of 6-foot (1.8 meter) timber piles. Each lock was supported on 700 piles, arranged in rows of 15 to 20 piles across the width and two feet apart.
Original drawings prepared in 1896 of the San Francisco Ferry Building show it resting on 5,000 redwood piles, 14 inches in diameter which were driven down 80 feet into the San Francisco Bay mud. Investigation of the piles in 1981 showed the piles were in perfect condition.
Today wood piling is a mainstay of foundation systems. Engineers and contractors depend on wood piling to perform its intended function in all kinds of structures, including manufacturing plants, processing facilities, and commercial buildings. For example, thousands of pressure-treated wood pilings form the foundation of the new construction projects for JFK Airport in New York and Dulles Airport in Northern Virginia. The city of New Orleans, Louisiana, is built on timber piles. Driven piles have a long history in advancing civilization in all parts of the world.
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