Spring 2000 Newsletter
On January 24, 1848, James Marshall picked up some gold nuggets in the tail race of a new lumber and flour mill which he was building for John Sutter on the South Fork of the American River at Coloma, California. That discovery started the California Gold Rush of 1849. Thirty miles up the South Fork from Sutter’s Mill at Kyburz is a diversion dam which was built to divert water into the El Dorado Canal. The dam and canal, built between 1873 and 1876 by the El Dorado Water and Deep Gravel Mining Company, was designed to supply high pressure water for hydraulic gold mining operations at Placerville, California. After the hydraulic mining of gold was outlawed in 1884, the canal system was enlarged by the Western States Gas & Electric Company to convey 170 CFS of water to a 20 mega watt power plant at Pollock Pines, California. In 1928, the Pacific Gas & Electric Company acquired and operated the power system until 1996 when the El Dorado Irrigation District took control of the water and power facilities.
During a very wet winter of 1982-1983, a large landslide near the diversion dam destroyed over a mile of the flume and canal. In 1983, PG&E contracted with Dillingham Construction to build the El Dorado Tunnel to bypass the damaged flume. The winter of 1997 brought warm and heavy rains (the Pineapple Express) that fell on a heavy snow pack in the Sierra Madre. These unusual conditions caused a flood on the South Fork of the American River, destroying the power house at Pollock Pines and triggering another landslide which filled the river valley with over 100,000 cy of debris, temporarily dammed the river, blocked Hwy 50, and destroyed two and a half miles of the flume down stream of the new El Dorado Tunnel. The El Dorado Irrigation District needs to restore the power and domestic water system capabilities as soon as possible and has decided to replace the damaged flume with another tunnel.
In May 1997, Traylor Bros. was the low bidder on the El Dorado Irrigation District’s Mill Creek to Bull Creek Tunnel. On November 14, 1999, Traylor Bros. finally finished negotiations and signed a contract for $11.3 million to design and construct the Mill Bull Tunnel. The tunnel will be about 10,000 feet long and will be driven using an 8’-8" TBM fabricated by Construction and Tunneling Services in Kent, Washington. The present plan is to start the TBM inside the existing El Dorado Tunnel near Mill Creek and drive slightly down hill to the west, through hard (20,000 psi) Sierra Nevada Granite and emerge at a portal near Bull Creek. The tunnel and portals are being designed for Traylor Bros. by Woodward Clyde of Oakland, California. The tunnel will probably not need any support except for some rock bolts and occasional steel set at possible shear zones. Muck will be removed using a conveyer system at the TBM discharging into muck trains pulled by electric locomotives on a 24 gage railroad. The locomotives and rolling stock will be provided for the job by the Equipment Division in Evansville. The contract requires that the tunnel and portals be completed and ready to use by November 14, 2000. The TBM is scheduled for delivery in April so mining will probably start in May. The work at the Bull Creek Portal will be accomplished during the summer in preparation for the holing thru of the TBM in September or October. Since the tunnel will not require any lining, except covering any steel sets with shotcrete, the TBM should be removed and the transitions made to the tunnel and flume before the November completion date.
Traylor Pacific Tackles the Coronado Bridge
On July 29, 1999, Traylor Bros. was low bidder on the last of four phases of the Coronado Bridge Retrofit. Having been third bidder on the first contract, second bidder on the second contract, and third bidder on the third contract, it was quite rewarding to get a piece of the pie on our final opportunity.
The Coronado Bridge, for those of you who are not familiar with the structure, connects San Diego to Coronado Island spanning San Diego Bay. The port of San Diego is the largest Navy Port on the West coast of the United States and, because of this, the bridge was built to accommodate the large Navy ships that pass underneath it everyday. Its center span rests 205 ft above the channel.
Although beautiful to look at, the bridge presents some major engineering problems during the retrofit process. Concrete delivery and access to the work are the critical issues to get the work started. In addition, due to strict EPA laws, all work must be 100% contained, meaning that not a drop of water may go back into the bay and construction dust must be contained in tented facilities.
This project has also given us the opportunity to put the derrick barge William F. to work on the project it was originally built for. Forty years ago, Guy F. Atkinson built the barge (then named "Mr. Guy") to construct the Coronado Bridge. It is ironic that Atkinson was the second bidder on this project by 1.5%.
The staff selected to build this project comes from all corners of Traylor Pacific. Some came from the Irvine office, some from the Vincent Thomas Bridge project, and some from the San Mateo Bridge project. At this point, we are still assembling our team. Some of our first round draft picks still have not yet arrived at training camp.
We have a great group of engineers and managers assembled to retrofit this bridge. It is now just a matter of going out and executing our plan.
Since our last newsletter update, there has been a significant amount of progress. Late spring and early summer of 1998 included the completion of all drilled shafts in the river as well as on the Kentucky bank. At the same time, our new embankment subcontractor was dodging the spring and summer rains while completing the Ohio fill. Construction of the Pier 6 middle and upper tower legs commenced and continued throughout this time.
By the fall of 1998, the Ohio embankment was finished and, as we waited on the required settlement period to conclude, our crews completed construction of all drilled shafts, land-based piers, and abutments on both riverbanks. Just as these structures were being completed, erection of the backspan structural steel began in Ohio. As the erection crew reached Pier 6 with the structural steel late in January of 1999, the form crew topped out the tower legs and relocated to Pier 5 to start over.
Late in March 1999, we hung our first pair of stay cables; this marked the dawn of the repetitious Pier 6 superstructure erection cycles. Under key supervision, we continued these cycles throughout the summer. By following a somewhat restrictive erection sequence and struggling to maintain strict geometry control, we concluded the first half of the bridge superstructure early in the month of October. At the same time, still under the Concrete Form Superintendent’s direction, the form carpenters raced up the tower legs at Pier 5 and topped out nearly two months early. Also, under the direction of the precast foreman, our precast yard completed the manufacture of all 256 deck panels without a single reject. As we approached the end of the first half of the bridge, our General Superintendent assembled a second ironworker crew and began erection of the Kentucky backspan structural steel. As the steel reached the Pier 5 tower in early November, we again jumped into the erection cycle.
With the gap in the mainspan section of the bridge now narrowed to only 300 feet, we, as well as the local community, can see that completion is just a few short months away. At the end of January 2000, we were approximately 40% complete with the Pier 5 superstructure and project to achieve closure of the two bridge halves by the end of April. From there it will be a mad rush to finish the fine tuning, paving, barrier walls, etc. that will be required in order to achieve final completion before the end of October.
Since our last article in the winter 1998 magazine, our project has progressed significantly and taken on many changes. In April 1999, Traylor Bros. received a change order to construct 11 additional bridges, an increase of 15,200 lf and 512,580 sf. This brings the total bridges to construct to 30 bridges totaling 33,430 lf and 1,450,550 sf.
The project is divided into four segments with Segment I scheduled to open in June 2000. As of mid-January, the crews on the Conway Bypass have completed approximately 85% of the precast erection for the flat slab bridges with a scheduled completion date of June 2000. Overlay operations, which began in April 1999, are approximately 45% complete with a scheduled completion date of October 2000.
With all that has gone smoothly on the Bypass, the project has experienced some setbacks. On September 15, 1999, Hurricane Floyd made landfall, yielding more than twenty inches of rain. Three weeks later, Hurricane Irene yielded an additional six inches of rain. Segment II was shut down for two months from the floodwaters of the Waccamaw River. The floodwater reached an elevation which shattered the 500-year flood stage.
While recovery efforts are underway, Segment II and the Waccamaw River Bridge presently control the completion of our work. The Waccamaw River Bridge is the only cast-in-place bridge to be constructed by Traylor Bros. Substructure work is approximately 75% complete. All efforts are focused on completing the remaining three cofferdam piers in the river before the spring floodwaters return. Superstructure work on the eastbound bridge is approximately 20% complete with an anticipated start date of February 2000 for the westbound superstructure. Forgoing additional set backs from the flooding of the Waccamaw River, the cast-in-place bridges should complete November 2000.
Award Winning South Bay Ocean Outfall Completed
The quotes say it all: "There were a lot of people who said that this job could never be built, but Traylor Bros. has created a magnificent tunnel," said Fred Estep, Deputy Construction Manager for the Owner. "Everyone else was afraid to take this job on," remarked Tom Traylor at the Hole Through Party. "That’s really incredible! It’s one of the wonders of the world!" announced a wide-eyed, local television news anchor.
On January 11, 1999, the 19,000 foot outfall tunnel under the Pacific Ocean was put into service by the Owner. This completed nearly three years of hard work, innovation and jousting with Mother Nature at the San Diego site. The eleven foot diameter tunnel, with its 200 foot deep shaft and 140 foot long riser to the seabed floor, has long been under close scrutiny by the entire industry. The successful completion of the tunnel should bring many new projects, which have been languishing on hold, to fruition. Coincidentally, this project won the 1999 ASCE Project of the Year for the State of California.
Billed as the longest high pressure tunnel of its kind in the world, this job has further cemented Traylor Bros.’ reputation as a leader in the industry.
The 340 foot long Earth Pressure Balance Tunneling Machine, nicknamed "Molita," underwent considerable modifications during the drive. For example, the segment trolley system was completely changed out, new control panels for the erector ring were designed and additional hydraulics were added. Built to withstand up to seven bars of pressure from the groundwater under the ocean, the EPB machine performed well in the clay and silt of Reach 1 and 2. But in Reach 3, the face turned to cobble, boulders and sand with little to no fines. The 125 foot long screw conveyor was constantly frustrating the operators by becoming jammed. Our creative Equipment Superintendents spearheaded efforts to alter the design of the conveyor. The changes made to the machine while buried far beneath the ocean were both extensive and difficult but the crews made it happen. With the newly altered screw, including the addition of two extra gates and the judicious use of rheological foam, polymers and bentonite slurry to treat the muck, the drive was completed through the difficult Reach.
An interesting feature of the project was the use of a Programmable Logic Controller which was connected to computer screens at the operators station, the Superintendent’s office, and the Engineer’s office. Each and every move made by the operator was permanently recorded on charts, graphs and readouts.
Congratulations go out to the day shift crew. They won the unofficial competition between the crews by over one hundred rings, and also held the record for 12 rings built and mined in one 8-hour period. To prove that it was no fluke, the day shift crew far out-distanced the other crews during the clean up, and the joint finishing phase after mining was completed.
Cudos are also due to the Chief of Survey. Although suffering through all of the taunts, disrespect, and general disdain that miners traditionally shower surveyors with, our Chief did his usual stellar job, bringing the tunnel home. Officially, the three and a half mile long tunnel hit the riser within two inches. Unofficially, the Chief claims that it was within three quarters of an inch, the difference created by a slight out of plumb condition of the riser tube. Those differing with his findings are urged to refer to the second sentence in this paragraph and identify with the miners.
In the same vein, Heading Engineers were kept scrambling at the end of the drive. Alleged, random and unpredictable anomalies in the segment molds would produce taper readings which sometimes defied mathematical probabilities. In an effort to keep the segments from becoming iron-bound in the tail of the machine, and suffering the same disdain afforded surveyors, the trio was forced to develop precognition skills worthy of the Psychic-Hot-Line.
Finally, a large vote of thanks should go to the miners themselves. Anyone with the preconception that a miner is just a guy with a shovel and dirt on his face should spend eight hours underground. Miners use not only their backs, but are constantly called on to use their brains as well. Resourcefulness in solving the myriad problems that can arise every day make these hands an invaluable asset. Teamwork between miners, mechanics, electricians, engineers, inspectors and management became the prime contributing factor in the success of this project.
It can be said that when problems occur, one can look in a text book for answers. But when you are breaking new ground, you have to write the text book yourself. The South Bay Ocean Outfall has many authors.
Congratulations for a job extremely well done!
The Vincent Thomas Bridge Project has lasted a lot longer than anyone could have imagined, but a last we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We completed a major milestone when the last piece of contract work was completed in the suspended span during mid-January. We are now performing the last of the detail work in the approach spans and plan to be complete by the end of March.
This project contained several unique and challenging engineering tasks. We removed the existing bridge bearings at 15 bent caps, replacing them with spherical bearings and elastomeric pads. This work involved jacking eight girders at once while the bridge was in use. The most challenging lift involved jacking girders that spanned three bent caps (400' in length), weighed over 3,000 tons, and required a total of 16 jacks to complete. Other unique challenges included the replacement of 28 sets of suspender cables, replacement of two floor trusses, replacement of the anchorage system for the suspended span, and the installation of 48 seismic dampers in the the bridge.
Perhaps, the most challenging task from a project management point of view was the replacement of bridge deck expansion joints. We were required to remove a 24' wide section of the concrete bridge deck and replace it with a new steel and concrete expansion joint, all within a 60-hour period. Work began at 8:00 p.m. Friday night with the demolition crews removing the deck. Beginning early Saturday morning, the Ironworker and Carpenter crews were busy installing the new steel support beams and concrete forms for the replacement deck. By Saturday night, the new steel was in, the forms were done, the new rebar was placed, and all the painting was complete. We poured the new concrete Sunday morning and opened the bridge to traffic early Monday morning.
The last of our major challenges involves re-wrapping a section of the main suspension cables, a project that will be accomplished by using our newly-engineered and built a cable-wrapping machine.
Teamwork and leadership are two words we hear each week as sportscasters analyze the results of athletic competition. We also notice it helps to have a team that is loaded with talent. I am proud to say that the Traylor team is loaded with star performers. And throughout our organization, many have emerged as outstanding leaders. Today I bring you some thoughts about team effectiveness:
á Each team member brings experience and wisdom that we need to be successful.
á Each team member must take personal responsibility for the quality, safety and productivity of our work.
á Each team member should be mindful of his own strengths and weaknesses. Sharing strengths and welcoming help where needed is the definition of team work.
á Gaining team consensus during the planning process adds commitment to execution of the work.
á When things are not going as they should, our worst enemy is pride. We often stubbornly refuse to ask for help.
á Dedicated team members never feel threatened by the abilities of a teammate. We welcome any help we can get.
á Dedicated team members presume to volunteer their expertise when it is needed. We know our ideas and efforts will be appreciated.
á Teams are mindful of the personal lives of their members. Helping one another lead balanced, fulfilling lives is necessary so that we all are able to perform at the highest level.
I am optimistic about the amount of bridge and tunnel work available as we enter the new millenium. We will select projects that best suit our skills. We will show our industry that Traylor is Number One in construction methods engineering, project management, and the business of construction. We will be the best because our team members are the best, and because they give their very best each day. This team will continue to know the many rewards of success.
Best Wishes for 2000,
Tom Traylor