August/September 2010  

 

 

 

Wildish Construction Co. was busy during the month of June at the Eugene Airport.  With crews working around the clock seven days a week, 19,000 cubic yards of material were excavated, 33,000 tons of aggregate and 56,300 tons of asphalt were placed, and 53 storm sewer manholes were raised.  Wildish Sand & Gravel Co. personnel did a great job of meeting the construction schedule with all of the aggregate products.  Company truck drivers provided an average of 35 trucks per day, peaking at 61 when 8,700 tons of shoulder rock were placed.  While one crew assisted with the shoulder excavation and rocking, another crew assisted with the manhole adjustments.  All of this work had to be completed within the month of June in order to minimize disruption to air traffic – failure to meet the deadline meant liquidated damages in the amount of $2500 per hour.  Not only was the job completed on time, Wildish crews worked 10,414 hours, and subcontractors added another 7,283 hours, without a lost time injury.

Next on the work schedule is a Lane County overlay project.  There are 6,800 tons of shoulder rock to place after the paving crew puts down 22,400 tons of asphalt. This project has a completion date of October 1.

Work at the intersection of US 20 and Airport Road in Lebanon is completed.  The concrete crew finished the last of the curb, gutter and sidewalk, and the paving crew completed a two-inch overlay in a busy intersection.

Crews are now working nights on the I-5 Halsey to Lane County Line job preparing for this mainline grind and inlay project.  A crew has removed earthen mounds, replaced guardrail flares, removed and replaced concrete barrier, and micro-milled bridge decks.

Paving crews have been gearing up for the paving operation at the Diamond Hill Interchange, both rest areas at mile post 206, and over 50 lane miles of I-5 northbound and southbound lanes.  Approximately 87,000 tons of asphalt will be placed in 30 shifts of paving.

Work on the LTD EmX job is expected to be completed by the end of August.  At that time, LTD will begin test runs of busses on the newly constructed bus lanes, wrapping up this two season effort.  Overlays of Harlow and Hayden Bridge Roads and the River Road area streets are nearing completion as well, with all main line paving complete and only manholes to and driveways to finish.

Work begins in mid-August on the Albany Airport project.  This $1.2 million project includes grinding and asphalt overlay of the main runway, as well as new drainage and electrical improvements.  This job is scheduled to be complete by October.

In time for Duck football season, the new turf is in place at Autzen Stadium. Crews removed the old turf, flattened the crown, and installed new drainage in preparation for the new field surface.

The view and function of Pioneer Parkway in Springfield have been greatly improved thanks to the efforts of Wildish Building Co. crews.  The addition of new landscaping, bus ways and art sculptures greatly enhance this corridor which will enable the EmX buses to serve riders from the Springfield Station to the RiverBend Hospital and Gateway Mall.  LTD will begin testing the route in August, with use by the public set for January 1, 2011.

LTD recently awarded a contract to the company for additional renovation work at the Springfield downtown station.  These modifications will enable the new EmX buses to efficiently board passengers at this station.  The work includes construction of a new boarding area on South A Street, a new special event boarding area, and replacement of the west boarding platform.  This work is underway and is expected to be complete by the end of August.

The Hunt-Wildish JV has concluded with the installation of the new field turf at Autzen Stadium.  Remaining change order work includes new field wall graphics around the perimeter walls at the field level, and the installation of new ESPN fiber optic lines that enable the television crew to simply plug in at the field level instead of going up and over the seating bowl as previously had to be done.

The Eugene Water and Electric Board recently awarded the company a $500,000 contract for the Carmen Smith Communication Building Project.  This work includes a small electrical communications building and a new 50 foot radio tower.  This project has a three month schedule with tight site logistics.

Three projects have begun at EWEB’s Hayden Bridge water filtration plant in Springfield.  The first project involves installation of about 400 feet of six and eight inch buried water main through a maze of existing pipes, conduits and other obstacles.  The second project includes the demolition of two steel tanks, two stainless steel tanks and various other items on the second and third floor of the facility.  The third project requires construction of a new 2,000 foot access road through a steep graded forest.  All three projects will be completed in August.

Landscaping repairs for the MWMC Peak Flow project has completed a major hurdle with several acres of irrigation restored and fields regraded and seeded.

In southern Oregon near Grants Pass, Wildish Standard Paving Co.’s work on the historic Rock Point Bridge over the Rogue River is progressing rapidly. Crews have overcome a variety of challenges to meet the established October 15 completion date.  All of the new overhang, ornamental dentils and sidewalk brackets, and ornamental concrete bridge rail have been installed.  Using Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FBR) to strengthen the 90 year old concrete arch has been similar to putting a lot of very stout fiber “bandages” on the concrete, then covering them with superglue.  When the bridge closes to traffic again after Labor Day, crews will place a microsilica concrete overlay on the deck, remove temporary access, and finish the approach work at the ends.

Moving north to the Willamette Valley and the I-5 Vertical Clearance job, crews have raised seven of the 11 bridges. These are the Talbot, Dever-Conner, Grand Prairie, Seven Mile, Coleman, MLK/Centennial and Wilkins overpasses. The MLK/Centennial bridge was interesting because it is actually two structures married by a closure pour at centerline (that is, there is no joint between the two). One structure was built in 1959 and the other in 1972. Crews are now repairing foundations, adding to the embankments, paving, and replacing guard rail to bring the road approaches up to the same elevation as the raised bridges. The overpasses at Reed and I-105 west bound are next in line, with Egge and Market following. The most difficult site appears to be the I-105 structure since this bridge will be lifted a total of 18 inches, and will require 5,600 tons of asphalt to raise the road approaches. The work will occur during short night time closures since traffic must be reopened every day.

Further north in Portland, both new bridges at the Tualatin River project have been opened to traffic. At Stafford Road site, traffic was moved into a stage alignment on the new structure so the existing bridge and work bridge could be removed.  Later this fall, new fills, including drainage structures and water quality ponds, will be constructed, the roadway will be widened, and traffic will be shifted into its final configuration.  At the Borland Road site, traffic is now using the new bridge.  This allows crews to remove the detour bridge and roadway alignment, complete the tie-in to the adjoining roads, and install water quality structures and ponds.

At the Oregon City Arch Bridge project, crews have been getting the job trailer and access set for in-water work. For the first time in company history, barges were used to ship Wildish equipment and materials to the project site. Crews will start removing debris from inside the arch chamber this summer, building column repair falsework, and completing arch investigation work.

The replacement of the bridge joints on the Glenn Jackson Bridge is more than halfway done. Crews have been working days, nights and weekends chipping out the old bridge joints and replacing them. The north bound joints are complete, so work is now focused on the south bound joints. The installation of bridge joint seals, placement of concrete in the existing wheel ruts, final striping and cleanup will occur prior to the end of October.

At Bonneville Dam, crews have placed approximately 4000 cubic yards of concrete in the hollow Ambursen cells.  They plan to complete excavations and drain rock placements soon, and then place the remaining 6000 cubic yards of concrete to complete this job.

Down the road at Cascade Locks, bridge crews have finished removing the detour structure, assisted in staining and painting the permanent structures, and are in the process of cleanup and demobilization.  Site crews completed the detour fill removal and are working on reshaping the fill to the original contours.  They are also completing swale and pipe work along with cleanup and punch list activities.

Heading east on I-84, work on the 15 Mile project is moving at a rapid pace with construction of the Stage 1 abutments and center pier.  BT85 girders are scheduled to be set near the end of August which will allow crews to start on the diaphragms, deck and end panels.  They will soon be starting retaining wall modifications in order to allow the grading subcontractor access to rebuild a section of I-84.

Crews are also engaged in construction of the Bent 2 right footing and lower column.  This work must be done during the in-water work window and be completed before the end of October.   The demolition subcontractor must also add a few footings and extra beams to the containment structure so that it is ready for Stage 2 demolition this winter.

Across the Cascade Mountain Range, construction on the Harper Creek-to-Mule Shoe Creek bridge project started at the end of June and includes upgrades to five bridges on Highway 19 near Spray.  The crew has completed all of the temporary access platforms for installation of the Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) wrap to strengthen the existing bridge beams.  Additionally, they have completed all of the structure excavation at the abutments (by hand!), as well as the core drilling for rebar installation for the abutment strengthening.  Existing bridge rail and guardrail flares will be replaced in the upcoming months.

Way out east, crews at the Camas and Dale Bridges have completed impacts, f-rail, embankment, bridge abutment backfill and roadway base rock in preparation for August paving. Demolition of the existing piers at both bridges is finished, Camas abutments are completed for Stage II, and the last drilled shaft has begun. The remaining portions of the substructure will be completed in August.

At Coles Bridge, the crew has removed the diversions from both sides of the river, and is installing the riprap trench key and abutment protection. All pile driving at this bridge has been completed, leaving only portions of the crossbeams and bridge abutments to be accomplished before beams are set.

At Goose Rock, the crew has removed the demolition containment structure, and river diversions have been installed for removal of the existing bridge foundations. Both abutments for Stage II have been completed, and crews are focusing on completing the remaining in-water work drilled shafts.

The Trout and Silvies Slough bridges will be constructed during August and September. The bridge at Trout Creek is required to be built in five days, and the bridge at Silvies Slough in seven days. All parts and pieces of these bridges were cast this spring and are ready for installation.