State Supplement sponsored by:
441
59
75
Cornella 19
Rome 85 27
Athens
GEORGIA STATE EDITION
A Supplement to:
441
Atlanta
20
Madison Augusta
85
20
Griffin 1
129
Milledgeville
75
La Grange
Macon
301
185 19
16
Dublin
Swainsboro Oak Park
Columbus
Statesboro
341 441 16
Lyons Americus
Savannah
McRae
301
1
Cordele
27 82
Dorchester
341
Cuthbert
75
Albany
84
Douglas Tifton
82
95
82
Blakely
Pearson 27 84
Moultrie
19 319
84
Bainbridge
Valdosta Thomasville
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1 441
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Waycross Brunswick 82
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June 6 2018
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Savannah Mason Mega Rail Terminal Work Proceeds By Lori Tobias CEG CORRESPONDENT
Work is well underway on a 20-month contract to build the infrastructure for a railroad project in Savannah that will make it the largest on-deck intermodal rail facility for a port
authority in North America. The Mason Mega Rail Terminal is the next step in the Port of Savannah’s drive to handle more cargo from NeoPanamax vessels. It is part of a comprehensive expansion plan that includes a deeper harbor, the largest ship-to-shore crane fleet in North America, adding 60 rubber-tired Gantry
Infrastructure improvements include ground improvements, clearing, grubbing, excavation of wetlands, dynamic compaction and imported fill.
yard cranes and expanding truck gates. General contractor Astra Group Inc., of Woodstock, Ga., won the $34.6 million contract for infrastructure improvements with work starting this past January and set for completion the summer of 2019. Those improvements include ground improvements, clearing, grubbing, excavation of wetlands, dynamic compaction and imported fill. “There are three bridges that are part of this project, two railroad bridges and one for vehicles, to cross an on-site canal,” said Daniel Buehler, project manager. “If you put all the ground improvements in one basket, I would say they are the largest component of the job. That includes rigid inclusion, dynamic compaction, excavating, the removal of wetlands and replacement of them with suitable material, such as a composite section that involves a geogrid, 18 inches of number 57 stone and a layer of nonwoven geotextiles.” The ground compaction is achieved through the use of a crane and giant weight and is necessary due to existing landfills. The compaction area is 304,852 sq. ft. “The rigid inclusions and dynamic compaction are not new technology, but they are new to us,” Buehler said. “We’ve done this type of work before, but not really on this scale. The rigid inclusions are a grouted element to stabilize the ground and minimize settlement. A tube is inserted into the ground, and as the tube is extracted, pressurized grout is pushed into the space left behind.” Crews have started on the bridges, driving 20 test piles to see MASON page 6
Georgia Might Move Vehicles From Under Bridge After Collapse (AP) Georgia transportation officials are considering other locations for storing roadside assistance vehicles. The development comes after a federal agency issued a report on factors that contributed to the 2017 collapse of a section of Interstate 85 in metro Atlanta. A homeless man was accused of setting the fire, but construction materials stored under the bridge allowed the blaze to spread quickly. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a recent report that the “large amount of combustible material being stored underneath this section of
the I-85 bridge increased the fire risk to the bridge” and contributed to its collapse. Georgia transportation officials say they no longer store construction materials under Georgia bridges. The Georgia Fire Marshal’s Office inspected the HERO vehicle facility under I-85 after the bridge collapsed and found that the facility complies with all state requirements. HERO drivers — short for Highway Emergency Response Operators — help to clear wrecks and also provide traffic control and roadside assistance
to motorists in metro Atlanta. But Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Natalie Dale told The Atlanta JournalConstitution that the agency is considering other locations for the HERO vehicles. Supervisors also have offices under the highway, and employees meet there for shift changes and safety meetings. Dale said there is no specific time frame for making the decision. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)
The National Transportation Safety Board said in a recent report that the “large amount of combustible material being stored underneath this section of the I85 bridge increased the fire risk to the bridge” and contributed to its collapse.
Page 2 • June 6, 2018 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
SMALL TOOLS.
The 104 concrete sections that will replace the foundation supporting the bleachers weigh 30,000 lbs. each
Project Completes $63M BIG RE ESULTS. Investment in Ga. Stadium
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Precision Stone Setting Co. of Hiram, Ga. purchase of a 300-ton Link-Belt 348 H5 lattice crawler crane is in part for stadium renovations at University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. The west end of the stadium will be renovated, encompassing a new team locker room, recruiting hospitality lounge, scoreboard and stadium seating. The project completes a $63 million investment for the home of University of Georgia football. Sanford Stadium was originally built in 1929 and upon completion will become the tenth largest stadium of any kind by capacity (92,746) in the United States. Precision Stone’s 348H5 uses 240 ft. of
main boom, required primarily for removing the old scoreboard and installing a new 100 ft. by 50 ft. video score board over existing bleachers. The foundation, which supports the stadium bleachers, is removed and replaced with 104 larger concrete sections that weigh 30,000 lbs. each. Precast Stone selected the 300-ton LinkBelt to remove and eventually replace one type of precast concrete beam in particular – 100,000 lb. raker beams – which are an awkwardly angled section of concrete that runs perpendicular to support sections. see STADIUM page 6
When you need a lot of pow wer in a small package, count on o Sunstate Equipment for a vast selection of top quality, construction-grade speccialty tools, air tools, power tools, hand tools, porrtables and accessories. From grinders g and tampers to pumps and power distributioon, our small tool solutions meean you have quick access to the right tool at thhe right time to effectively mannage costs and productivity, or for fast actioon when the unexpected happeens.
This project completes a $63 million investment into the University of Georgia stadium.
Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • June 6, 2018 • Page 3
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Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • June 6, 2018 • Page 5
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Page 6 • June 6, 2018 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
$126.7M Mason Mega Rail to Be Operational in 2020
Those involved with the Mason Mega Rail Terminal believe the project is a game-changer for the state of Georgia and for commerce nationally. MASON from page 1
determine the length the piles should be. The 18- and 20-in. concrete piles are in production now. The worksite at the Port was vacant and doesn’t call for any demolition, but there were plenty of other challenges according to Buehler. “Not much is normal on this job,” he said. “We’ve got the wetlands to contend with, we have the landfill material that we are trying to build a railroad on and we have the diversion of an existing canal. Right now, the configuration of the canal has a big turn in it. It’s going to be straightened out.” There also are some interesting structures involved in the improvements, including a considerable storm drainage system and box girder superstructures on the railroad bridges. “You don’t see the box girders that often,” Buehler said. “We’re using them for speed and strength — quicker production and it allows for heavy loads.” The $126.7 million Mason Mega Rail Terminal is expected to be operational in 2020. The expansion will increase the Port of Savannah’s rail lift
capacity to 1 million containers per year and open new markets spanning an arc of cities from Memphis to St. Louis, Chicago to Cincinnati, according to the GPA press release. “Today is a great day for Georgia and the nation,” said Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal. “Not only will this new intermodal facility take trucks off the road and bring our products to the market with greater efficiency, but it will open a new corridor for American commerce to and from the Midwest.” The Mega Rail groundbreaking is the latest in a series of Gov. Deal’s signature projects designed to make Georgia the transportation and logistics hub of North America, which include: the recent announcement of 50 percent completion of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, a new inland terminal in Northwest Georgia, and a $10 billion statewide transportation improvement plan. “The Mason Mega Rail project will expand rail capacity by 100 percent while reducing impact on the local community and throughout the supply chain,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. When complete, Garden City Terminal will have a total of
The Mason Mega Rail will expand rail capacity and reduce the impact on the local community.
180,000 ft. of rail, 18 working tracks and the capability of building 10,000-ft. unit trains on terminal. This will allow GPA to bring all rail switching onto the terminal, avoiding the use of nearly two dozen rail crossings, including those on Ga. Highways 21 and 25, for improved vehicle traffic flow. GPA estimates that the new intermodal terminal will take more than 200,000 trucks off the road annually. “This project is a game changer,” said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. “Our team estimates the Mason Mega Rail Terminal will slash rail time to the Midwest by a good 24 hours and present a viable new option for many manufacturers, shippers and logistics professionals.” Allgood also said unit trains make direct routes to distant markets more profitable for the railroads, which is a major factor in how the new capabilities of the Mason Mega Rail terminal will improve Savannah’s reach. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.) CEG
Ga. Stadium Becomes Tenth Largest by Capacity in U.S. STADIUM from page 2
“I gently lift the raker beam up,” said Operator Keith Carpenter. “Once I see movement on top of the columns, I just ease the boom up so it comes to me just a little bit. Then I lift it higher and away from the columns. The crew rotates the beam with tag lines about 40 degrees and I set it down in between the columns. We lay it over on its side so another crew can saw it into three
pieces. “I love this machine. It’s a smooth operating crane and operator friendly. It’s also strong, but I just like it because of its smoothness. I’ve operated cranes for 35 years, but this is the first new crawler machine I’ve operated. It is real comfortable, too,” said Carpenter. Taking the raker beams down in one piece proved easier than breaking up each section
in place. The slabs are hauled on flat beds to be recycled in Norcross, Ga. New precast concrete is shipped in from Hiram, Ga. and Greenville, S.C. “We’ve had a lot of good results with Link-Belt equipment” said Equipment Manager Jon Leggett. “They are more user friendly than other machines. We get a lot of good use out of the Link-Belts and every-
body likes running them.” Complete crane specifications are available at www.linkbelt.com. Additional high-resolution photography is posted at http://www.linkbelt.com/ftphome.htm, when available. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)
Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • June 6, 2018 • Page 7
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