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95
82
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84
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Vol. XIX • No. 22
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Interchange Construction Passes Midpoint
By Irwin Rapoport
CEG CORRESPONDENT
Construction of the new, $48.6 million diamond interchange on I-985 at State Route 13 in Hall County started in August 2017 and when completed, will improve traffic flow and provide more opportunities to expand the H.F. Reed Industrial Park in Flowery Branch, Georgia. G.P.’s Enterprises Inc. was awarded the $36.1 million construction contract in June 2017 by the Georgia Department of Transport (GDOT) and last August passed the midway point for the Aug. 31, 2019 completion date. More than 50 percent of the work has been completed, as the contractor deals with soil condition and water issues. The interchange is located on I-985 between Exit 12 (Spout Springs Road/city of Flowery Branch) and Exit16 (SR 53/city of Oakwood). The work includes a five-lane roadway section (Martin Road extension, 0.72 mi.) divided with a 24- to 32-ft., variable-width, raised median that will connect H. F. Reed Industrial Parkway at Thurmon Tanner
G.P.’s Enterprises Inc. was awarded the $36.1 million construction contract.
Parkway on the west side of I-985 and Martin Road at State Route 13 (Falcon Parkway) on the east side of 1-985. The new road section also will have 4-ft. bike lanes on each side, 12-ft. urban shoulders, curb and gutter, and 5-ft. sidewalks. The widening of Martin Road was necessitated by the construction of the interchange. “Though not a primary need, the proposed interchange project would also have the benefit of improving traffic flow at the adjacent I-985 interchanges at SR 53 and Spout
Springs Road which are currently utilized to reach the industrial area,” states the project website. “The new interchange would also provide the associated benefits of enhanced emergency response and coverage and enhanced economic development opportunities. The purpose of the project is to provide improved access to the rapidly growing industrial area along I-985 between the vicinities of Flowery Branch. The interchange [will] improve trafsee INTERCHANGE page 8
Georgia DOT Responds to Damage From Hurricane Michael Hurricane Michael moved through Georgia last week, leaving damage to homes and businesses, downed trees and power lines, blocked roads and traffic signal outages across the state. In accordance with Gov. Nathan Deal’s seven-day state of emergency declaration, which was expanded Oct. 10 to include 108 counties located in the south and coastal areas of Georgia, GDOT responded to the storm’s impact on a statewide level in partnership with the Governor’s Office, Georgia Emergency Management Agency, the National Weather Service and state and local officials. The week of Oct. 8, Georgia DOT deployed Special Response Teams consisting of nearly 1,400 personnel statewide. In
order to respond as quickly as possible once the storm passed in areas expected to be hardest hit by Hurricane Michael, crews were strategically staged in Albany, Tifton, Statesboro and Waycross. Crews began clearing impacted roadways once the worst of the storm passed, responding to reports of downed trees and debris in the roadways. A total of 247 routes were closed, blocked or reported to have debris during the peak of the storm, including a complete blockage of the northbound lanes of I-75 at milepost 128 near Perry, which has since been cleared and all lanes reopened. Crews are actively working to clear and reopen any routes that remain closed.
Priority routes will be cleared first to ensure the public maintains access to hospitals, trauma centers and other public facilities. An estimated 300 traffic signals operated by Georgia DOT experienced possible outages in the aftermath of the storm. Motorists who must drive are reminded to treat a flashing red and nonoperational signal as a fourway stop. Drivers are also advised to stop, look in all directions, and proceed only when safe to do so. Motorists are encouraged to always ensure their safety and be cautious of strong winds, flooding, downed power lines and the remaining potential for falling trees. Call 511 to report flash flooding, downed trees or other obstructions on roadways or
bridges impeding travel. Do not drive through standing water or around barricades that are in place for motorists’ safety. Residents should never clear tree limbs, downed trees or debris from roadways, as live power lines could be tangled in debris and cause injury or death; instead, wait for Georgia DOT and Georgia Power crews. For real-time road conditions, call 511 or visit Georgia511. For weather information, visit the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Fla., or the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Ga. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)
Page 2 • October 24, 2018 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
Covington Road Upgrade Aims to Relieve Congestion By Irwin Rapoport
“The accident rates along this section of SR 12 are extremely high for a rural minor arterial,” it stated. The two bridges have a sufficiency rating of 79.8 and were deemed “acceptable to be widened.” E.R. Snell Contractor Inc. is on schedule and on budget in “The purpose of the widening is to better facilitate the curthe construction of the Georgia Department of rent traffic demands we currently have and to project down Transportation’s (GDOT) $19.3 million project to reconthe line and facilitate that traffic as well,” Bailey said. “All of struct and widen a 3.5-mi. section of State Route 12/U.S. 278 our bridges were designed to withhold the anticipated load from the city of Covington limits to east of SR 142. based off the heaviest traffic with the heaviest load. Many of The Newton County project, which began in March 2017, our subsidiary roads had sight distance issues involving is nearly 40 percent complete and has a contract completion alignment, so this project aims to address those issues with date in May 2020. relocation of Mason Drive, Fairfield Drive, McGruits Bridge The project involves widening and reconstructing SR 12 Road and Elks Club Road.” from west of Henderson Drive to just beyond the SR 142 Traffic management measures during construction intersection. The route will consist of two 12-ft. lanes in each include relocation of traffic signals and additional shifts of direction separated by a 24-ft. raised, grass median, with 10side roads. ft. rural shoulders, 6.5 ft. of which will be paved. “We are staging construction to ensure that Also included is a multilane roundabout at the motorists are not inconvenienced and construcintersection of SR 12 and SR 142, the replacetion personnel are as safe as possible,” said ment of two bridges, construction of an interBailey. “To better facilitate this, we are doing change where two highways connect, and the minor traffic shifts for the subsidiary roads before installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of the major shifts to allow motorists to adapt to the SR 12 and Elks Club Road. new configuration. During the time of construcThe project has been planned since the early tion, E.R. Snell elected to lower the speed limit 2000s, and state and federal funding is covering 45 miles per hour for the safety of the public.” the cost of the initiative from right of way to engiE.R. Snell crews, led by project manager neering and construction. ROW acquisition Thomas Byrd, have completed 75 percent of began in 2014 and exceeded $2 million. Stage 1 of the roundabout and 80 percent of SR 12/U.S. 278 is industrial and commercial Stage 1 of the bridges. toward the Covington (western end) of the proj“On Nov. 15 we’re planning on switching trafect, but then begins changing to rural and residenfic to the corridors over to the new Stage 1 areas tial as it approaches SR 142. so we can start on Stage 2 construction,” said “The goal of this project is to combat the Scott Briscoe, president of E.R. Snell. “Our potential growth of the area, which is based on crews are working year-round, although we may the heavy truck use supporting several plant facilhave a little bit of slowdown in winter. We had ities,” said GDOT project manager Gregory L. some utility issues around the bridges with some Bailey. “With the potential expansion of these gas line work and that delayed the project slightbusinesses, as well as population growth, it was ly.” necessary to widen this road to meet those Utilities are making efforts to reroute their needs.” Prior to the construction, 2016 daily traffic Plans call for the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of infrastructure as the construction proceeds. counts along SR 12 varied from 13,500 to more Georgia SR 12 and Elks Club Road. see SNELL page 4
CEG CORRESPONDENT
than 18,000 vehicles a day. The new infrastructure, designed by GDOT, will meet traffic demands for several decades. A unique safety feature of the project is the multilane roundabout design on the eastern end. “The decision to construct a roundabout for the intersection of SR 12 at SR 142 was based on the preferred safety and operational improvements a roundabout would offer,” states a GDOT engineering report for the project. “The geometries of the intersection also make this intersection a good candidate for a roundabout.” The report also noted that widening SR 12/U.S. 278 will improve the projected level of service, reducing congestion and driver discomfort, as well as addressing concerns about safety raised by accident statistics for SR 12 from SR 142 to the Alcovy River.
A multilane roundabout is being constructed at the intersection of Georgia SR 12 and SR 142.
Widening Georgia SR 12 is expected to use 4,000 cu. yds. of concrete, 55,000 tons of asphalt, and 498,000 lbs. of steel.
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The existing bridge remains in use as construction proceeds on a new bridge over the Alcovy River.
Traffic Flow Challenges Crews as Project Shifts Lanes SNELL from page 2
A $19.3 million GDOT project is reconstructing and widening a 3.5-mi. section of State Route 12/U.S. 278 from the city of Covington limits to east of SR 142.
“This hasn’t been a hard job — the challenges were nothing extreme,” said Briscoe. “Any time you work around a bridge or a river, you have to deal with water levels during the rainy season, and that’s been a little challenge this year. We have bridge and grading crews working, and pipe crews for the light drainage work.” E.R. Snell management personnel continue to update the schedule and coordinate the work to meet the delivery date. “Communications with GDOT has always been good,” said Briscoe, who noted that issues are resolved rapidly as the project is a straightforward one. The majority of the work is done via day shifts, with some paving operations taking place at night. Briscoe added that traffic is a constant concern for the crews, which are building the new lanes like a train in motion, with multiple moving parts. “In addition to the road work,” said Briscoe, “we have a lot of storm drains and boxes to install. The utility relocations and installations are the responsibility of the utilities, but we’re coordinating this work.” The two existing east-west bridges on SR 12/U.S. 278 are being rebuilt. The two-lane Alcovy River bridge is being replaced with a 204- by 88-ft. bridge accommodating two 12-ft. lanes in each direction divided by a 24-ft. raised concrete median, including 8-ft. concrete shoulders. The twolane Alcovy River overflow bridge is being replaced with a 400- by 88-ft. bridge accommodating two 12-ft. lanes in each direction divided by a 24- ft. raised concrete median. It also will have 8-ft concrete shoulders. The existing bridges continue to be used, with no off-site detour while the new bridges are being constructed. “Once we complete Stage 1,” said Briscoe, “then we’ll demolish the old bridges and complete Stage 2.” Peak days have about 40 construction workers on site. The subcontractors are the CLA-Neel Company Inc. for concrete flatwork, Mario Reinforced Steel for all bridge superstructure steel, Augusta Quality Lawn Care for grass-
ing and erosion, American Lighting & Signalization for electrical, Peck Pavement Markings for striping, and Lee & Sims Drilling Services Inc. for caissons. The work will see the removal of 5,000 tons of concrete, 16,000 tons of asphalt, and 20,000 cu. yds. of earth and rock. New materials are expected to include 4,000 cu. yds. of concrete, 55,000 tons of asphalt, and 498,000 lbs. of steel. “We’re recycling the asphalt from the old roadway,” said Briscoe. “The concrete will be broken up and used as fill material. A lot of materials can be recycled.” The project is about 20 mi. from E.R. Snell’s main yard/repair facility. It is using a variety of standard equipment, such as cranes (Link-Belt and Kobelco), as well as excavators, dozers, loaders, backhoes, motorgraders, rollers, and pavers manufactured by Cat, John Deere, and Komatsu. General wear and tear issues include parts and teeth, roughed up edges, and tires. “Most repairs can be done within a day,” said Briscoe, who added that the maintenance crews are top-notch and no additional equipment was purchased or rented for the job. E.R. Snell purchases equipment from various dealerships. Briscoe said that good communications with the dealerships are essential, especially in knowing what the company will require in terms of replacements. “Good service, repairs, and replacement parts when you need them are important considerations,” he said, “and price is always a factor.” The general contractor usually replaces equipment based on age and number of hours used. With about 1.5 years to complete the project, Briscoe is confident in the ability of his crews. “We try to run a family business and to have everyone involved in the end goal,” he said, “and keep them involved in the scheduling, day-to-day activities, and how decisions are made.” (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.) CEG
Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • October 24, 2018 • Page 5
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Page 6 • October 24, 2018 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
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Georgia DOT has awarded 27 construction contracts for statewide transportation projects totaling $127,381,615. These projects were advertised July 20, bids were received on Aug. 17 and contracts were awarded to the lowest qualified bidder Aug. 31. The largest single investment is a $38 million contract to add additional lanes on 10 miles of State Route 67 from Interstate 16 to the Statesboro Bypass in Bulloch County. This contract — awarded to Reeves Construction Company Inc. — includes the construction of a bridge over Woodcock Branch River. This project, along with another general construction contract to construct a roundabout on SR 70/SR 92/SR 154 at SR 166 in Douglas County, represent 33 percent of awarded funds, or $42.2 million. Bridge construction and rehabilitation contracts represent 34 percent of the awarded funds, or $42.6 million. The remaining 33 percent of awarded funds, also $42.6 million, include safety enhancement and routine maintenance projects. These include 11 projects to resurface 98 miles of roadway throughout the state. The awards bring the total construction contracts for Fiscal Year 2019 to $191 million. Fiscal Year 2019 began July 1. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)
Georgia Aquarium Breaks Ground on Expansion 2020 Earlier this year, the Georgia Aquarium revealed plans for a new gallery featuring sharks — one of the most misunderstood species in the ocean. The official groundbreaking ceremony was held for Expansion 2020 on Sept. 11, 2018. The expansion will feature a new gallery in addition to a redesigned entry. Guests will have the opportunity to learn about the animals while observing them up-close with floor-to-ceiling acrylic windows. The newest exhibit will be located off the aquarium’s main atrium, adjacent to SunTrust Pier 225. The official name of the gallery will be revealed at a later date. “We have always done things big, and 12 years after our opening, we are still holding true to that,” said Joseph Handy, president and chief operating officer of Georgia Aquarium.
The aquarium will remain open during construction. A temporary entrance will be in place to ensure guests are able to enter the aquarium with ease. The temporary entrance will be accessible from the Georgia Aquarium parking deck and from Pemberton Place. Directional graphics will be located in surrounding areas. At 1 million gallons, the exhibit will be one of the aquarium’s largest. The animals featured in the new exhibit will be from a variety of locations, including like-minded accredited aquariums and zoos. The species of sharks will be released closer to the gallery opening. For more information, visit georgiaaquarium.org. (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 • October 24, 2018 • Page 7
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Page 8 • October 24, 2018 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
Streams, Soil Conditions Complicate Road Improvement INTERCHANGE from page 1
fic flow and continuity between the interchange area and large industrial employers located between Flowery Branch and Oakwood.” The interchange is approximately 0.75 mi. north of the SR 13/Falcon Parkway overpass, and the project was the subject of a 2010 engineering study to determine the costs and best construction methods. The project is part of an overall road infrastructure plan via the current Gainesville-Hall Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Improvement Program. Constraints on construction in the area include maintaining the existing edge of pavement in the area of the Bailey Farm; keeping all proposed improvements within the area studied for archaeological resources; avoiding major impacts to existing utilities; and minimizing displacements. The environmental survey for the site found that while no protected species were observed, habitat was identified for three protected bat species. “Special provisions will be implemented during project construction in an effort to protect bat species,” the survey states. Current daily traffic in the affected area is 13,000 cars and trucks per day. The new infrastructure will be able to handle 50,000 vehicles daily and will meet traffic demands for next 30 years. R.K. Shah & Associates Inc. designed the interchange and road extension. “There are many streams on the site, and we a had a lot of poor soils that were not able to support the traffic loads,” said Marc A. Phillips, GDOT construction manager, District 1, Area 1 Construction Office, “so we installed a concrete load transfer pad — 200 ft. long by 50 ft. wide by 3 ft. thick — supported by piles. We also used a lot of rock embankment to support the poor soil conditions. The road was specifically design to handle trucks carrying heavy loads, and we have an extra thick asphalt and concrete road base.” The traffic impact from the work is serious, but GDOT’s traffic management plan is minimizing it via temporary traffic shifts, lane closures and ongoing notifications to motorists regarding upcoming work, as well as suggestions for alternate routes. “It’s working pretty good and we’ve got the state’s construction office sending out weekly updates,” said Phillips. “This is an active industrial park, and we’re doing our best to minimize the impacts on the businesses operating in the area.” Thus far, G.P.’s Enterprises has been making progress on various fronts, with 85 percent of the grading, 50 percent of the work on the three bridges and 60 percent of the drainage work and drainage structure installation completed. “Grading operations continue,” said Phillips. “We are currently working on asphalt paving on one side of the project. Concrete paving is anticipated to start in six weeks. Our first bridge deck pour is scheduled next week.” Other elements to be completed include pouring concrete medians and sidewalks, guardrail and traffic signal installation, and striping. Project limits include approximately 7,500 ft. along I-985 for entrance and exit ramps, approximately 1,500 ft. north and south of the SR 13/Falcon Parkway at the Martin Road intersection, approximately 1,500 ft. along the Thurman Tanner Parkway, and approximately 500 ft. along Martin Road. G.P.’s Enterprise’s management team consists of Chris Fowler, the project manager; Mark Stancil, the project super-
intendent; and Anthony Phillips, the project engineer. “We’re pleased with project and right now we’re slightly ahead of schedule,” said Fowler, who has been with the company for four years. “I have some very hard-working individuals who will aid in task ahead. We had to deal with more areas of wet soil than what was shown on the soils report, but we’ve dealt with issues like
Work on three bridges covered by the project passed the halfway point in August.
connect at the end of it. We just started putting down some asphalt paving, and it will probably be another month before we get to the other side. “Sometime between when the plans came out and the construction started,” he added, “a large tree fell into a stream that changed its bank and a bridge vent had to be redesigned because the stream was too close to it.” The earth work and site preparation took about five months to complete. “We had a lot of dirt to move — about 200,000 cubic On peak days there are nearly 95 G.P.’s Enterprises yards,” said Phillips. “We had to clear close to 50 acres, so it and subcontractor employees on site. was pretty extensive. The soil and water conditions complicated this aspect of the work.” The Martin Road extension work has not started. The twobefore. It’s extra work that had to be done and we completed lane road, with one lane in each direction, is being expanded it.” Phillips stressed that the project is no walk in the park, as to three lanes in one direction and two in the other, along the soil conditions made it more complex. Adding to the dif- with turning lanes. “We expect to start the work in October,” said Phillips, ficulties is the building boom in the area, which has many “and it will take about three months to do all that.” subcontracting firms assigned to multiple projects and On peak days there are nearly 95 G.P.’s Enterprises and stretched thin. “Scheduling subcontractors to do the work has been a subcontractor employees on site. Major subcontractors challenge,” he said. “Construction has been getting busier include Georgia Bridge & Concrete LLC for bridge conand busier for the last 1.5 years. We’re building this road struction, MSE and retaining walls, and concrete paving; Buffington-Smith Contracting Co. Inc. for graded aggregate project as fast as we can.” Because the work site is on a new location, the general construction; DET Inc. for traffic signal installations; C.W. Contracting Co. Inc. for asphalt paving construccontractor has sufficient space to store materials, park equip- Matthews tion; and Lagniappe Development Company Inc. for miscelment, and establish field offices. Utilities have been moving laneous concrete construction, such as curb and gutter, medipower, water, cable and phone infrastructure in advance of an, sidewalk, and ditch paving. the work, particularly due to the widening of Martin Road. Materials removed from the work site include 7,500 tons Crews work primarily during the day, Monday to Friday, of asphalt and a minimal amount of concrete. New construcand the weather permits construction to occur year-round. tion materials include 230,000 cu. yds. of concrete and 3.4 “Asphalt is pretty much the only thing that can’t be done million lbs. of steel, which includes the steel weight in in the winter,” said Phillips. “We can pour concrete in the 26,700 linear ft. of H-Piles to support the walls, bridges, and winter by implementing cold weather protection procedures the load transfer pad. to ensure that it doesn’t freeze before it cures. The dirt that was moved is being used to shore up and balCommunications with G.P.’s Enterprises are very good and ance the site. professional. They’re hard-working, and they jump on the “About half of our work site balanced out,” said Phillips, job quickly. We work through our problems as soon as pos- “so we had to pull in dirt from another site — about 100,000 sible. We have weekly progress meetings with the general cubic yards.” contractor and the municipality, so that everybody knows Phillips, who has been with GDOT for 11 years, has been what’s going on.” involved with many projects and takes nothing for granted. Some of the soil condition issues were anticipated. “It’s important to stay on top of things and stay calm,” he “But we’re finding a lot of wet ground that wasn’t antici- said, “and to be diligent to solve problems. I get advice on pated,” said Phillips, “and I suspect it’s due to the extraordi- items that I’m not a subject matter expert on.” Phillips also is assisted by five GDOT inspectors, and sevnarily rainy seasons that we had.” The diamond interchange is being built on multiple fronts. eral new GDOT employees have visited the site to familiar“They’re hitting it head on,” said Phillips. “They’ve grad- ize themselves with a large and complex project. (This story also can be found on Construction ed the entire site, building on one side and then moving to the other. There are roads on either side of the interchange which Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequip-
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