Flush Seawall Knee-Brace Inspection Plates | PaverForge

A seawall knee brace is the diagonal or horizontal member that takes landward load off the cap and into the sheet pile, king pile, or deadman. On Pinellas canal lots the brace sits under the paver walk. When a bolt loosens, the only clue is a dip in the cap until someone opens the ground. PaverForge sets a flush inspection plate so that check does not mean tearing up the apron.

What the plate is

The plate is a small access lid, set to finished paver grade, over the brace connection. It is not a structural repair and it is not a substitute for a marine contractor's survey. It is a hardscape detail: a concrete collar, a lid that does not rock, and a paver field that stays continuous around it. The lid is marked so the next owner can find the brace without a metal detector.

• Locate the brace and bolt group before the paver base is placed.

• Cast a collar so the lid bears on concrete, not on sand.

• Set the lid flush with the walking surface, with a small gap for removal.

• Keep the plate out of the main drainage path so it does not become a trip edge when sand packs the gap.

When it belongs in the job

New cap walks, rebuilt aprons behind a seawall, and any paver field that will cover a known brace should include the plate. Adding it later means lifting a patch of pavers and hoping the base was deep enough. PaverForge, 727-490-9798, paverforge.com/services.

If the brace itself is rusted through, that is marine work. We coordinate the plate with whoever is repairing the steel so the lid lands on the new connection, not on the old one.