Page 8 • May 11, 2022 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT GUIDE
Harms Installs Drilled Shafts With Barge-Mounted BAUER George Harms Construction Company continued work on the replacement of the Raritan River Bridge on a frigid January day as a major winter storm barreled toward New Jersey. This determination, along with a unique decision-making strategy centered on a specific piece of equipment, are keeping this critical infrastructure project on track. The material under the riverbed largely dictated the need for a rig the size of the BAUER BG 55. The upper layers were soft, silty clay underlain by varying depth sand layers. Beneath that was dense clay and Siltstone. A group of key project executives from Harms and Equipment Corporation of America (ECA) gathered on the shoreline as work progressed and crews secured the barges holding the equipment. “We can handle cold temperatures and snow but our biggest nemesis out here is the wind,” said Jason Hardell, senior vice president of operations. “That’s why we all have beards.” This 112-year-old bridge carries an active New Jersey Transit line across the river from Perth Amboy to South Amboy. Damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, the new span will incorporate structural designs and materials to bolster its defenses against severe weather. In May 2020, Harms was awarded a contract to install 87 drilled shafts across the Raritan River in configurations from two to 10 shafts per pier. It was the first of three construction phases that will replace the bridge with a lift span. This bridge represents the largest project Harms has ever done in terms of dollar value, but not in terms of scope. Building BG 55 Into Bid The selection of the BG 55 was founded on a 30-plus year business relationship and friendship between ECA New York, New Jersey Regional Sales Manager Bruce Langan and Harms President Emeritus Tom Hardell. Harms was awarded this project when the original low bidder retracted its bid. No stranger to $200-million-plus bridges, Harms wasted no time mobilizing and starting work in July 2020. Harms worked with ECA’s Director of BAUER Product Sales and Service Gordian Ulrich to spec the BG 55 into the project during the pre-bid phase. His career started in 2007
Harms set up the BG 55, polymer slurry tanks, and all other necessary equipment and materials on customdesigned Flexifloat barges adjacent to the existing bridge.
at BAUER Maschinen’s method development department in Germany and he has been involved with various drilling applications on a global scale. Other brands of equipment were considered, but Harms concluded that only the BG 55 could cost-effectively drill 8ft.-diameter shafts up to 240 ft. “We went out on the limb and purchased it before we were even low,” said President and CEO Rob Harms. The smaller BAUER BG 40 also was considered, but lacked the winch capacity Harms needed. With the massive Kelly bar, tooling, and heavy clay, the BG 55 was the only choice. ECA had the rig shipped from BAUER Maschinen in Germany to the Port of Newark and hauled to the Harms
waterfront facility in Newark, N.J. Once assembled, the BG 55 crawled onto a 200-ft.-long Flexifloat Barge and was floated to the Raritan River Bridge site. This barge would serve as its mobile working platform. Barge stability was critical with the 118-ft.-tall BG 55 mast subjected to heavy winds during drilling. The barge is constructed of Flexifloats and the configuration is unique and specifically designed for this project and this application. Its 10-ft.-wide sections in 10- and 20-ft. lengths snap together like Legos, so Harms had the flexibility to add and remove. Six hydraulic spuds with 24-in. diameter pipes anchored see HARMS page 48
ECA and Harms chose conventional tooling for the BG 55, including double-cut rock buckets and a cleanout bucket with BETEK bullet teeth.
ECA and Harms gathered for a key ceremony in October 2020 to commemorate the purchase of the BG 55.
