About Wm. Tucker Associates — William Tucker, P.E.
A Note from William Tucker
I started Wm. Tucker Associates in 1989 because I wanted to work for myself, on the complex and difficult problems that contractors bring to consulting engineers — the temporary structures, the deep foundations, the cofferdams that have to work the first time. After 16 years in a senior role at a San Francisco engineering firm, I knew I wanted to choose my own technical direction — new methods, new tools, new ways of solving old problems — without waiting for permission.
Thirty-seven years later, WTA still operates the same way. The PE who signs is the PE who designs. The contractor calling about a problem talks to me, not a junior. Most of them have called before. And when the work calls for new tools — LiDAR for accurate as-built data, modern analysis methods, anything that makes the engineering sharper — we use them. The work is fundamentally the same as it was in 1989. The tools have changed; the judgment hasn't.
Credentials
Selected Projects
More than 1,000 numbered engagements since 1989, with multiple long-term repeat clients across California and the western United States.
What We Engineer
Our primary focus is the engineering that makes major construction possible — sheet pile work, deep excavation support, cofferdams, dewatering, and temporary structures. When projects call for permanent retaining walls or specialty foundations, we design those too.
Deep Excavation Support, Cofferdams & Shaft Design
- Sheet pile cofferdams — in water and on land
- Soldier pile and tieback walls
- Deep shafts (sheet pile or soldier pile)
- Internal bracing systems
- Dewatering design and integration
- Ground freezing shaft design
- Excavation support in Bay Mud and other challenging soils
- Excavation support for subway and tunnel construction
Temporary Structures for Major Construction
- Temporary supports for seismic retrofit and bridge work
- Bridge jacking systems
- Underpinning systems
- Specialty shoring for occupied buildings and active infrastructure
Underground & Tunneling Support
- Tunnel portals and face stabilization
- Rock bolts and rock anchors
- Shaft launch points
Permanent Structures (when projects call for them)
- Retaining wall design
- Levees and flood control structures
- Seawalls and coastal protection
- Micropile foundation design
- Specialty foundation systems
Specialty Capabilities
- San Francisco Bay Mud expertise
- Value engineering and constructability reviews
- LiDAR scanning for accurate as-built documentation (Leica RTC360, BLK2GO)
- Geotechnical report interpretation and soil-structure analysis
The PE who signs is the PE who designs. If you have a complex or difficult problem, I'd like to hear about it.