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Southeast Edition
May 8 2019
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Vol. XXXI • No. 10
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Crews Bear Down on Charleston Tunnels By Irwin Rapoport
CEG CORRESPONDENT
Contractor’s Machinery Serves NE Tennessee…8
Blanchard Demos Next Generation Cats…20
The city of Charleston, S.C., is investing $198 million to complete the Spring/Fishburne Drainage Improvement Project, a fivephase initiative that began in 2011 and is scheduled for completion in 2024. Jay Dee Contractors Inc. (JDC) is currently working on Phase 3, a $34 million contract to build an east-west tunnel that is 5,400 linear ft. long, 12 ft. in diameter and 150 feet below ground. The job also requires construction of two 30-ft. diameter working shafts and two 20-ft.-diameter exit shafts. The main line tunnel is being placed under U.S. Route 17 between the Ashley River bridges and Coming Street. Also being built is a 2,100-linear-ft., 8-ft. diameter tunnel running under President Street from Harmon Field to Cannon Street and intersecting the main line tunnel more than 140 ft. below the intersection of U.S. 17 and President Street. Work on Phase 3 started in July 2016 and is expected to be completed in February 2020. Phase 1, which cost $11 million and was completed in June 2013, improved in pedestrian and vehicular safety and traffic efficiency along Septima Clark Parkway (U.S. 17) from Spring Street to Coming. It also involved installation of 175 stormwater structures and 5,500 linear ft. of pipe. Phase 2, which cost $25.5 million and was completed in late December 2017 by Crowder Construction Company, saw additional work on Spring and Cannon streets from the western terminus of see TUNNELS page 66
Operators Learn, Compete at APWA…26
Table of Contents ........4 Paving Section ......36-48 Attachments Section ................................51-63 Business Calendar......84 Auction Section.....85-91 Advertisers Index ......90
Jay Dee Contractors photo
Excavation proceeds on the Coming Street retrieval shaft in Charleston.
La. Signs Contract for Air Force Base Access Road Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn Wilson announced April 24 another major milestone in the project to build a new access road into Barksdale Air Force Base from the I-20/I-220 interchange in Bossier Parish. A contract with James Construction Group LLC was signed and the notice to proceed was issued, marking the official beginning of the project. James Construction Group LLC was identified as the successful proposer during a public bid opening held on Feb. 5. The contractor was one of two that submitted proposals for the $71.8 million project. “This is one of the most significant steps in arriving at the point of turning dirt on a project,” Wilson said. “This project is of particular importance to the community because this new gate
will transform the way commercial deliveries enter Barksdale Air Force Base, vastly improving security and traffic congestion.” The 2.5-year project will construct a new road that extends southward from the I-220/I-20 interchange into the base, eliminating current safety concerns associated with railroad crossings and congestion at other base entrance points. “We couldn’t be more proud of how this project has been managed,” Wilson added. “A little over a year ago, this Mega Project in the State’s Transportation Master Plan sat on the shelf with no funding identified. But we remained determined to utilize innovative funding mechanisms to keep the processes on course, and move forward with extreme efficiency.” Utilizing the design-build method of project
delivery will expedite the process by allowing the design and construction phases to take place simultaneously while employing innovations. The project is estimated to be complete in October 2021. The city of Bossier, Bossier Parish, and the local Metropolitan Planning Organization have all made funding commitments, and public support has been issued by local economic development groups in the region. This project and two other significant infrastructure projects are being funded through the state’s first issuance of GARVEE bonds, which are special bonds that will be repaid over 12 years using federal funds allocated to Louisiana. A groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the beginning of the project is scheduled for May 14.