Alabama 24, December 14, 2022

By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT

With an eye to the future, officials in Huntsville are overseeing construction of a new $110 million federal courthouse that will house the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama.

When completed, the 123,100-gross-sq.-ft. building will be one of more than 8,000 federally owned and leased assets managed by the General Services Administration (GSA) and is considered long overdue.

“The current federal courthouse in Huntsville dates to 1937 and was originally constructed with only a single courtroom,” said U.S. District Judge Liles Burke. “It has been modified over the years many times to accommodate additional judges and staff but is vast ly inadequate for the needs of the court in 2022. Put simply, as the city of Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley has grown in population over the past century, the court facilities have not been able to keep up.”

When completed, the 123,100-gross-sq.-ft. building will be one of more than 8,000 federally owned and leased assets managed by the General Services Administration (GSA) and is considered long overdue.

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GSA photo

Thompson Tractor Holds Three-Day Demo in Opelika, Ala.

Thompson Tractor Company held a three-day site prep demo at its Opelika, Ala., location on Nov. 8, 9 and 10. Representatives from Thompson Tractor were joined by representatives from MTS (Mobile Track Solutions) and Sitech South for a few days of hands-on site-prep “clinics”.

Tim Kirchner of MTS said if you’re getting paid by the material yard, the MTS machines that his company builds “are like having an ATM at your job site”. Quick cycle time with incredible production is achieved with MTS machines, he added. One machine was set up for “short runs” and another for “long distance” and both can be pushed with up to a D10 sized machine. Pull scrapers are interchangeable from artic truck to tractor.

MTS is owned by the Moyna family, which also owns C.J. Moyna & Sons Construction based in Elkader, Iowa, and has been in business for 75 years. They move 10 to 12 million yards of material a year.

What makes MTS unique is that the products it sells through the Cat dealer network are the products it uses within its own company on a daily basis.

“It’s not just a bunch of engineers drawing something up, we actually use these products for a living. Essentially, it was the earthmoving machines needed by the construc tion company that brought on the production of the quality earthmoving machines built by MTS,” the company said.

Sitech South’s Mike Henderson was part of the demo and said he was enjoying the opportunity to showcase the Sitech technology offerings.

Sitech South representatives came to the site before the demo days and were flying drones for scanning the site to gain topo map for making the design for the overall demo layout. During the days in which the demo was held, Sitech South periodically flew drones overhead to see the progress and to verify grade. Building the demo site was actually part of the overall experience and the whole site was operating off of a cell network. A base station was not necessary for this site and was there for back up only.

The Cat D3 dozer on the site was running Trimble Earthworks with components installed by Sitech South, working through the pre-installed Cat system in the cab. The components are virtually plug and play with a sec ondary screen in the cab and receivers on the top. Accuracy is achieved to less than a tenth of a foot. These products are now available for quick install through Sitech South.

The MTS 3630 with 23-28 pull scraper and the Cat truck towed 23-28 scraper made for some quick production of material over the three-day period.

Fine grading on the site was achieved by a Cat 140 motor grader.

A Cat 340 was on site for those who wanted to test their skills with the latest Cat excavator technology.

Lawton Dean of A&C Construction Co., Montgomery, Ala., gets a feel for the cab and pull scraper on the 3630 trac tor/MTS 23-28 combination unit being demoed during the event.

A combined effort of marketing staffers assisted in making the event quite successful. (L-R) are Karlee Ihde of MTS, Elkader, Iowa; and Madison Grooms and Rachel Love, both of Thompson Tractor.

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MTS, Sitech South Join Thompson Tractor for Demo

from page 2

Sitech South also had its communication vendor, CrewPlex, onsite. CrewPlex makes for better communication on the job site and has a wireless full duplex system, which, according to Dan Franklin, CrewPlex busi ness development manager, “puts everyone on the job site in a scenario similar to a con ference call where no one has to actually push a button to communicate with another team member. It’s all very fluid and the technology actually eliminates the noise of the machinery. It’s all about keeping everyone communicat ing properly and safely on the job site to ulti mately increase productivity,” said Franklin. 

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(All photographs in this article are Copyright 2022 Construction Equipment Guide. All Rights Reserved.)

Operating

By MTS standards, the overall dirt moving process includes use of a construction grade rollerblade for keeping the surface to be graded as smooth as possi ble for the next cut.

The Cat D3 dozer with Sitech grade control system achieved tremendous accuracy for the demo opera tors.

Talking about the Cat truck/MTS scraper combo (L-R) are Derick Freeman, Thompson Tractor, Opelika, Ala.; Aaron Adams and Bo Hollands, Adams Group, Opelika, Ala; and Tim Kirchner, MTS.

the MTS 3630W pull tractor with 23-28 scraper was an experience that was a first for many at the demo event.

Discussing the Sitech set up on the Cat D3 dozer (L-R) are John Smith, Thompson Tractor; Chad Underwood, Big Lunch Farms, Snead, Ala.; and Steven Miraglia, Sitech South.

(L-R): Demonstrating their products and services for site work were Sitech South representatives Mike Henderson and Justin Andrews, and Dan Franklin of CrewPlex, a communications product line sold by Sitech South.

A nice crowd on day two of the three-day event.

DEMO

The new courthouse is being delivered via fast-track design build. The design-build con tract was awarded in September 2021, with initial work taking place in April 2022.

Crews Excavate, Prep for Footings On Huntsville Court House Project

The highly anticipated building will include five court rooms, with space for three U.S. district judges, one U.S. magistrate judge and U.S. bankruptcy judge. It also will house probation officers and staff, the clerk’s office and the U.S. Marshals Service.

“It will be a great improvement to have a courthouse that has adequate room to conduct the duties of the court and serve the public,” Burke said. “I am very happy with the architecture of the new United States Courthouse, which will be a very traditional neo-classical building. It will perfectly blend with the historic architecture that’s so prevalent in downtown Huntsville, as well as complement the more mod ern architecture that’s been constructed over the past 60 years.”

A formal groundbreaking, led by the Honorable C. Lynwood Smith Jr., U.S. district judge of the Northern District of Alabama, was held in September. Outgoing U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, who’s responsible for securing funding for the project, told the crowd the new structure will serve generations to come.

“It’s about justice, it’s about the rule of law, it’s about addressing grievances and everything that goes with it,” he said. “You are going to have something that’s going to be here for a long time, and it’s a heck of a location.”

The project team includes design-build/contractor Brasfield & Gorrie LLC, bridging architect Payne Design Group LLC and architect of record SLAM Collaborative.

The new courthouse is being delivered via fast-track design build. The design-build contract was awarded in September 2021, with initial work taking place in April 2022.

“Currently, foundations and basement level cast-in-place concrete walls are nearing completion, and precast concrete structures that will house stairwells are being placed,” said Aaron Rader, senior project manager of Brasfield & Gorrie. “Structural steel framing installation is about to begin, and the artist commissioned by the GSA as part of its art-in-archi tecture program is starting work for art that will be part of the project after completion.”

The courthouse is being built on a brownfield site in Huntsville’s city center. Multiple buildings previously occu pied the property.

“Site work to date has consisted of excavation for the building basement,” said Rader. “We’ve stockpiled excavat ed soil on site and will use it for the final backfill and grad ing.”

Approximately 5,000 cu. yds. of dirt will be moved in total during construction. Rader added that the project is not without its share of challenges.

“A fast-track design-build project must always balance completion of the design and its impacts on any work includ ed in early-work packages,” Rader said. “This delivery method reduces risk to the owner, while minimizing impacts of inflation or other market factors by reducing the time from construction documents to actual construction. Minimizing market factors is especially important for this project, as bid ding, design and the start of construction coincided with a period of record inflation.

“Add to this government requirements for the Buy American Act, certified payroll and the generally increased paperwork to meet government standards, making the selec

tion of the correct trade contractors and vendors vital to the project’s success.”

Demolition of previous structures and an architectural study were performed prior to the property’s transfer to the U.S. government in advance of the project, which has pre sented some unexpected issues.

“Our teams encountered a previously unknown under ground storage tank while installing the sewer main,” Rader said. “We’ve sequenced work to minimize schedule delay while removing the tank, per Alabama Department of Environmental Management regulations.”

Rader added that workers have had to be prepared for unanticipated problems.

“One was an existing concrete structure located several feet below grade,” he said. “The other was an underground fuel/oil tank. The project plan accounted for unforeseen con ditions, so these issues have not adversely affected the proj ect schedule.

“Supply chain disruptions, cement shortages and other factors in an industry that never slowed during the COVID19 pandemic continue to pose opportunities for innovation and thoughtful strategies.”

Regarding heavy equipment, the excavation for the build ing and main utilities and the backfilling of the site requires excavators, dozers, front-end loaders, articulated haulers, sheet foot rollers, dump trucks and skid steer loaders. As site finishing commence, the team will use motor graders, pavers and drum rollers.

“The project plan includes the use of a hydraulic roughterrain crane to assist in erecting forms, installing resteel and other conveyance in the basement and installing precast tower sections,” said Rader. “A temporary buck hoist will transport materials to the building floors, and an extending boom forklift is always on site for unloading and moving materials around the job site. We will soon mobilize a sepa rate crawler crane to facilitate structural steel erection.”

Rain has been a factor during foundation installation; however, to date the wet conditions have not exceeded the expectations within the construction schedule. In addition, the colder temperatures that are common this time of year require planning but are not expected to have an impact.

COURT from page 1

Brasfield & Gorrie excavates spread footing along S2 line from east to west.

Brasfield & Gorrie excavates to the north of core C mat foundation to dowel out of the footing for concrete placement.

New Highway to Utilize Fast-Paced Construction Method

The proposed West Alabama Highway, as the new four-lane route from Thomasville to Moundville is called, is on a fast-track schedule, according to Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) officials speak ing to a group of elected officials and others in Thomasville earlier in November.

But ALDOT added that a new U.S. Highway 84 bridge across the Tombigbee River at Coffeeville has been delayed until 2024.

Those and other details on highway proj ects in a 10-county area that make up the Alabama-Tombigbee Regional Commission’s coverage area were explained at the annual Rural Planning Organization meeting. Among the attendees was ALDOT Director John Cooper as well as others from the state agency, the Thomasville Times reported.

North-South Highway to Finally See Construction

At the gathering, ALDOT engineers talked about the new highway that Gov. Kay Ivey broke ground for in late 2021. A fourlane north-south highway for west Alabama has been discussed for several years, and the Thomasville to Moundville route would do much to carry out that goal.

Starting in Thomasville, where the fourlane U.S. Highway 43 ends, the new road will be built north to Linden and connect to where a new bypass is planned east of that town. Just north of Linden, the new road would turn onto Ala. Highway 69 and con tinue north before bypassing to the west of

Greensboro.

Still another bypass would be at Moundville, to the east, and a short distance north of that community, the new road would connect to the existing four-laned Ala. 69 before continuing to Tuscaloosa.

Construction will begin on the Linden Bypass within the next three months, the Times reported, with an expected finish in three years.

When completed, the new West Alabama Highway will have four lanes running north from Mobile near the Gulf Coast to Tuscaloosa in the west-central part of the state.

The entire 70-mi. road project, with 20 bridges, has been estimated to cost between $760 million to $780 million. The Thomasville news outlet noted that the north and south portions of the Linden Bypass alone will total $140 million.

New Building Method Should Shorten Work

The West Alabama Highway project will be constructed using a new concept called “progressive design build” that is supposed to speed up the process. It will allow no-bid contracts with ALDOT negotiating for the best price.

It is the first use of the building concept in Alabama.

ALDOT’s Cooper explained that a project that would take 13 years to build typically eats up nine of those years in pre-construc tion work.

“Simply, we are trying to develop a deliv

ery method that doesn’t plan for nine years,” he explained. “The onus it puts on [ALDOT] is [for us] to be tough negotiators.”

Cooper added that no one is certain how well progressive design build is going to work but he is willing to try it.

Other Alabama Road Projects Explained Cooper was asked about expanding U.S. 84 to four lanes from the southeastern Alabama town of Andalusia westward to the Mississippi state line, something that many have wanted for years.

“The big issue is traffic count,” he explained, adding that the most traffic on the stretch in question is at the intersection of U.S. 84 and Ala. 21 on the south side of Monroeville with about 10,000 vehicles a day. Away from that junction in either direc tion and the count falls to 6,000 or 7,000 vehicles a day, not enough to warrant new construction, Cooper said.

Advocates for more lanes on U.S. 84 still cite the many log trucks that use the route and the need for four lanes for improved safety.

In announcing its delay, ALDOT said the proposed U.S. 84 bridge on the Tombigbee River in Coffeeville has been on and off the table for years. More recently, ALDOT has started negotiations with affected property owners around the span to buy needed rights-of-way.

One reason the project was put on hold until 2024 may be that some federal dead lines were missed, according to the Thomasville newspaper. 

Brasfield & Gorrie Expect to Complete Courthouse in 2024

Time-consuming tasks include early planning and aligning program requirements to Congress-authorized funding. The team also must sequence structure and building envelope components to meet physical security requirements, including force protection and other Interagency Security Committee standards.

“Most federal courthouses include floor-to-structure dry wall framing and walls to adhere to sound transmission requirements,” said Rader. “Coupled with floor-to-floor heights that greatly exceed conventional commercial build ings, this requirement makes building information modeling anti-clash coordination and sequencing of the work impera tive.

“Physical construction of the highly detailed and purpose ful elements of the building also takes more time than conven tional commercial building types.”

Brian Murray, Brasfield & Gorrie vice president and divi sion manager said, “This design and construction type is not for everyone and is certainly not a type of work to cut your teeth on. But with a team of highly knowledgeable experts in federal courthouse delivery, the exacting nature of this work is extremely rewarding.

“In addition to GSA’s commitment to sustainability and delivering LEED-certified and soon to be net-zero projects, GSA employs two best practices that we encourage other owners and developers to consider. One is the use of industry peer review at 15 percent and 65 percent completion of con struction. The Construction Excellence Peer Review program is managed by GSA’s Office of Project Delivery. The process engages at least two construction peers to visit GSA’s large capital projects to offer a ‘sniff check’ on the health of the project. They also offer constructive advice to the project team based upon high-level observations.”

Murray also emphasized the inclusion of a designers’ and builders’ registry.

“Everyone who works on the project has their name includ ed on the registry, which is typically posted in a highly visible public space within the new facility. We encourage our project team leaders to share this best practice during pre-task and safety meetings so everyone working on the project can have a heightened sense of pride in their daily work efforts.”

The new courthouse is expected to be completed by fall 2024.  CEG

(All photos, except where noted, courtesy of Brasfield & Gorrie.)

COURT from page 8

Map courtesy of ALDOT The West Alabama Highway Project will construct a four-lane highway from Thomasville to Tuscaloosa.

Crews place bedding stone for the foundation drain at the east side of core.