Hank Hummel Concludes Exemplary Career With Retirement

For more than 35 years, Joseph Henry "Hank" Hummel has been instrumental in the success and progress of Traylor Bros. During this time, he has managed forty individual projects from the bidding process through job completion and has provided his engineering expertise to countless others. Hankās project involvement is but a minute part of his invaluable contribution to Traylor Bros. Hankās direction into engineering started with his service in the Navy. He entered the Navy at the age of 17, directly out of high school. He was in a flight training program during his service years and received his technical education through the GI Bill. He graduated from the University of Missouri in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the states of Indiana, Missouri, Virginia, Illinois, Louisiana, and Washington, D.C. Hankās first employer was Ozark Dam Constructors where he served as Surveyor/Party Chief for two years on the construction of Bull Shoals Dam. He then joined Kansas City Bridge Company where he worked as a field engineer on several bridge projects during his nine years of employment with them. It was at Kansas City Bridge Company that he gained the name "Hank" because there was already another "Joe" on the job. The name has stuck. Payroll records show Hankās starting date with Traylor Bros. was January 1, 1961. He hired on as an estimator and engineer before becoming project manager nine months later on the McAlpine Dam project in Louisville, Kentucky. Hank is most proud of the Cannelton, Indiana, project where he was project manager on the construction of the Ohio River Bridge substructure for the Indiana State Toll Bridge Commission. He found the deep foundation and open caisson work most challenging on this project. Although he has managed various types of projects including bridge, marine, and lock & dam, Hank says that all of the projects have been challenging. He particularly enjoyed the field work, "always did and still do" although he has operated as a Division Manager on the "inside" since 1980. He has watched Traylor Bros. grow from a small company with just a few people to a large company with a large amount of personnel support. Hank is very proud of what he has done in his life and says he wouldnāt change a thing. He still enjoys the work but says he is ready to ease the work load. Hank intends to make time for traveling with wife Diane and may do some consulting work to keep from becoming bored. He enjoys several sports such as tennis, handball, and hiking, and intends to get serious about lowering his golf handicap. Retirement will also provide time for Hank and Diane to visit their children. Together, through a merger of families, they have eight children: Sara, Karen, Jim, Wade, Ann, Beth, Julie, and Charles (Chuck). The Hummel family has grown even larger with the addition of 17 grandchildren. It is with mixed emotions that Traylor Bros. sends J. H. "Hank" Hummel on his way to a well-deserved retirement on June 30, 1996. We extend a wish for many years of happiness and express our sincere appreciation for 35+ years of service and accomplishment!

Underground Division to Tunnel in Massachusetts

Traylor Bros. has joint ventured with J. F. Shea (sponsor) and S. A. Healy on the $251 million project in Framingham, Massachusetts. Contract award was made May 23, 1996. Notice to Proceed was not available at this newsletter printing date. The project consists of excavation and lining of 27,407 lf and 35,006 lf of 14-feet completed, internal diameter water supply tunnels to replace an outdated aqueduct for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Both tunnels will share a common 30' outside diameter x 400 vf work shaft. A contract requirement is that two new tunnel boring machines be utilized for the excavation. In addition to the work shaft, there will be two 420 vf conventionally sunk shafts and four 30" inside diameter riser shafts which shall be raise-bored. Notice to proceed had not been issued at the newsletter printing date.

Second Blue Water Bridge

April 1, 1996, marked the beginning of on-site mobilization by Traylor Bros. in preparation for the steel erection of the U.S. portion of the Second Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, Michigan. The construction of the project is a joint effort of the United States and Canada to handle an ever increasing volume of traffic between the two countries. Traylor Bros. is under subcontract to the General Contractor, PCL/McCarthy, a Joint Venture, to erect the U.S. portion of the bridge and will meet the Canadian erectors, Canron, Inc, high above the middle of the St. Clair River to join the two halves. The three span tied arch structure will, upon completion, have a main span of 451.0 meters (1479.66) and two anchor spans of 85 meters (278.87 feet) each. Three tub girder flanking spans of 61 meters (200.13 feet) each will also be erected to complete the contract. Actual preparation for the project began much earlier with the planning and development of the erection procedure . Restrictions placed on the erection of the structure prohibited both the placement of falsework in the river and the use of any type of waterborne equipment for erection or delivery of materials. These restrictions dictated the design and use of a tie-back system to support the bridge during construction (shown at right). Erection over water will be accomplished by a 4100 Manitowoc crawler crane placed on the structure and will travel on the bridge as erection progresses. A track and dolly system will be used to transfer bridge members from the unloading area to the traveling crane for erection. The tie-back system will utilize two towers reaching approximately 233 feet above the bridge deck. Support of the bridge members during construction will be accomplished through fore stays connected from the towers to the arch members as erection progresses. These forces will be countered by back stays connected to the top of the tower and anchored to the end of the anchor span.

Kansas City Southern Railway Demolition Project

The Kansas City Southern Railway project in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, is blasting along. Demolition of the piers on this 95-year old single span railroad truss bridge took place on May 3. Demtech, a demolition-expert company operated out of Dubois, Wyoming, managed the set up and blasting. Prior to demolition, five main truss spans over the water were removed by Traylor Bros.. Tom Breeden, Project Manager, became reacquainted with "Robyne," a 300-ton capacity, barge mounted, A-frame derrick--and close friend. Together, they moved approximately 1,000 tons of structural steel to the banks to be cut up for salvage. Approximately two miles of track and miscellaneous items are being salvaged for the Railroad. Remaining work to be done consists of removal of remaining track, timber trestle, and three (3) small bridges on the Alexandria side. The project should culminate by the end of June 1996.

Traylor Bros. Vol. 8, No. 3 Fall 1996 EDITORS: MARGIE BERNICK & CYNTHIA GRIFFITH