Spring 1997 Newsletter

IH-45 Pierce Elevated Freeway - Houston, Texas

"95 Days Just Do It!" This was the motto for Phase I of the Pierce Elevated project. The 95-day schedule was not only met, but was beaten by seven days. The early completion resulted in a bonus of $371,000 to Traylor Bros. Inc. The Press and public have been very pleased with the progress and efforts put forward. The job has even received anonymous calls from the public congratulating us on our progress. There have been days when our workers were working in rain storms and people were driving by giving thumbs up signals. One woman felt our progress was worthy of a letter to the Houston Chronicleâs Viewpoint commending us. The Northbound bridge opened on March 5 and by the end of the day, the freeway was once again filled with traffic. The early completion of the job would not have been possible without a full team effort from everyone at the job, Texas D.O.T., Subcontractors, Vendors, other Traylor Bros. jobs, and the Home Office. The Southbound bridge is scheduled to close on April 2 and will be closed until late June or early July. The motto for Phase II is 95 Days Just Do It AGAIN!

Neuse River Update

With last yearsâ hurricanes and colossal amount of rain behind, the new year looks bright and promising for the Neuse River Bridge project. Water operations have taken a turn for the better. Drilled shaft production has increased to an average of 7.6 per week, with a high of 9 in one week (149 of 539 drilled shafts in place to date). Footings over the water are leveling off, with an average of one per week (22 of 71 footings in place to date). Some of the larger footing pours are scheduled within the next couple of months, and they vary in volume from 390 m3 to 651 m3 a piece. Columns and caps are falling into place with an average of 2.5 every two weeks (25 of 116 columns and 15 of 116 caps in place to date). Erection of girders over water commenced the first of March, and the installation of S.I.P. panels and overhang brackets will start in the middle of March. The first deck pour is scheduled for the middle of April. Substructures for land operations are almost complete with 21 of 25 footings, 21 of 25 columns, 17 of 25 caps, and 5 of 14 end bents in place. The erection of girders over land are scheduled to begin the middle of March, and the deck installation will begin late March. The roadway construction will begin mid to late March. Two of the subcontractors, The Polote Corporation (dirt) and Wheat Swamp Landscaping, have been busy battling the wrath of Mother Nature. TPC has completed 60% of their contract by hauling and placing 319,949 m3 of 650,000 m3 of borrow material. WSL has placed 24,785 m3 of sodding on the slopes of the three embankments that TPC is bringing up to roadway grade.

Tri-Met Westside Lightrail Tunnel Project - Portland OR

The Tri County Metropolitan (Tri-Met) Transit District of Oregon's Westside Lightrail Project began in February 1994. The tunnel is being constructed by the Joint Venture of Frontier-Kemper Constructors, Inc. and Traylor Bros. It primarily consists of two tunnels, each 18'-8" in finished diameter and 15,000' long, concrete lined with track installed. Each tunnel has a mile-long section with a 5% slope. Also included are one underground subway station under Washington Park Zoo and one ventilation shaft 18' in diameter. The zoo station is accessed by two shafts each 31' in finished diameter. The station is 260' deep and is the deepest in North America. All underground excavation is complete. The TBM holed through the second tunnel on August 14, 1996. Concrete lining is well underway with the westbound tunnel having been completely lined. The concrete invert is complete through the eastbound tunnel and the arch, about two-thirds complete, will be done by May 1, 1997. The zoo station presented the most challenging concrete formwork. Each shaft is divided into seven cells for elevators, electrical chases, ventilation shafts, and a stairway. At the bottom of the shaft, these various cells tie into the underground station at different levels. Further complicating the formwork, the entire station is waterproofed in an 80 mil thick PVC membrane. Penetrations had to be kept to a minimum so almost all of the formwork is one-sided without benefit of form ties anchored into the rock. Presently, the westbound cavern (32' at springline and 200' long) concrete is complete and the eastbound cavern is 80% complete. The final challenge ahead is the concrete lining of the intersection of the cavern passageways with the lobby in front of the shaft. Wood arch forms were custom made at the Frontier-Kemper Evansville Shop and shipped to the job. Zoo concrete should be done by the end of April. Track installation has begun in the westbound tunnel. The track is supported by a dual block tie system. The same system was used in the Chunnel (the English Channel Tunnel). The DART tunnel in Dallas, Texas, is the only other tunnel in the United Sates which has used the system. Each tie block is supported by a neoprene pad enclosed in a rubber boot. the blocks are clamped to the rail and the entire rail/tie system is lifted to line and grade using special fixtures. Concrete is then placed around the boots to lock the track in place.

Patton Island Bridge Substructure - Florance, AL

We have completed the 56 piers which constitute the substructure for the Tennessee River crossing from Muscle Shoals to Florence. The main items of work were 208 drilled shafts, 32,000 cy of concrete, and four cofferdams. Drill shaft work took twelve months, May â95 to April â96. Concrete work started May â95 and completed in January â97 - 328 placements. The drilled shaft foundation work consisted of twisting a steel shell into hard rock, core drilling a 54-inch diameter shaft 10-20 ft. deep, airlifting clean and filling with concrete and resteel. We used a 4100 W-2 Manitowoc with a Hain core drill. This crew was headed up by Mike Irish with able assistance from Jim Duren, Roger Schindele, and Tracy Osteen. The piers were mostly 25 x 50 x 7.5 footings, 4' x 4' x 70' tapered columns, and a 4' x 67' x 7' cap. A special footing form suspended from a frame with 3-inch rods. The frame rested on the drilled shafts. Column forms were the standard taper type. The cap form was a special "Gull Wing" type which strips in one piece. Four piers at the Florence Canal were cofferdam installations with drill and shoot rock foundations and tremie seal pours. There were many obstacles to overcome, especially in the early going, with many weeks being spent on access barges, bridges, bulkheads, clearing and road building. Then the difficult drill shaft work, trying to drill out 20,000 to 30,000 PSI rock, filled with layers of voids and cracks. Finally, the problems associated with understanding the footing form and moving into good production. Since the job was difficult, we are even more proud of it. Traylor was the low bidder on the next phase, the girders and deck over the river portion, so we are now in a transition stage, getting ready for the superstructure while completing the final cleanup and paperwork.

Partnering Contributes Greatly to a Successful Buckman Bridge Project

by Steve Plotkin, FDOT

One of the first Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) uses of the partnering concept began in early 1993 when the Buckman Bridge Widening Project got underway. Prior to the beginning of field work for the Buckman Project, a two-day partnering workshop was conducted which involved over 40 individuals directly associated with the project. Those in attendance included representatives from the prime contractor, subcontractors, suppliers, FDOT, Federal Highway Administration, and consultants that provided the construction, engineering and inspection (CEI) as well as design and geotechnical services. By mutual agreement of FDOT and the prime contractor, the workshop was facilitated by the construction management consulting firm, FMI Corporation. The workshop covered topics that were aimed at developing a strong and lasting partnership between all of the parties involved in the project. The major topics included: company values and objectives, personality types, identification of potential problems or "Rocks in the Road," issue resolution process, development of a mission statement and objectives, and the team evaluation process. A mini workshop was also conducted after the project was underway for individuals unable to attend the initial workshop. Periodically, during the months of construction, partnering update meetings were held, at which the effectiveness of the partnering process was discussed and changes implemented to insure that the process continued to work well. To date, the relationship between contractors, owners, and construction managers remains cordial because of partnering. This relationship has been put to the test on more than one occasion, but because of the strong commitment to preserve the partnership, all problems have been resolved. The key factors that have made the partnering concept work were a sense of trust, particularly at the managerial level of the prime contractor, FDOT, and CEI consultant, and the effectiveness of timely issue escalation for matters of critical concern. The Buckman Bridge Project is a widening of the original bridge completed in 1970. The project is located on I-295 over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. The finished project will be two, four lane, one-way bridges each with two, 10-ft wide emergency lanes. The bridges are 3.1 miles long and when finished, will have the most combined deck area (51 acres) of any FDOT bridge in Florida. Each bridge is comprised of approximately two miles of low level trestle and one mile of high level structure. The project cost approximately $79 million and is jointly funded by the Federal Government and the FDOT. The prime contractor is Traylor Bros. of Evansville, Indiana. The Florida DOT retained the services of Parsons Brinckerhoff Construction Services, Inc. as CEI of the project. The bridge was designed by Pitman Hartenstein and Associates of Jacksonville, Florida. Construction began in the winter of 1993 and will be complete in the spring of 1997, within budget and ahead of schedule. Traylor Bros., FDOT, and Parsons Brinckerhoff all agree that the partnering process on the Buckman project is a resounding success and each party intends to vigorously promote the concept for future projects.

In Recognition and Appreciation - MR. BOB QUINN

The completion of the Buckman Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida, completes two major events. The most easily seen is the completed structure that smoothly flows traffic across the St. John River, doubling the amount of vehicles able to pass over it daily. Less visible, but equally important, is the close of the day-to-day career of Robert G. Quinn, Buckman Project Manager. After more than seven years of outstanding service to Traylor Bros., Bob is returning to his home in Bainbridge Island, Washington, with his wife Lorraine, to begin a career of fishing, hunting, occasionally consulting, and generally doing all of the things we all have put off for too long. Bobâs career spans over 37 years in our industry. Beginning with Bethlehem Steel, during the hey day of big steel bridges, to the construction of major crossings of western rivers like the Columbia, to the completion of major crossings of the blue-green water of Tampa Bay, Bob has seen it all and given his all. Known as a great developer of young talent, there is hardly anyone currently active in the Heavy Civil group that has not benefited from Bobâs wisdom, good judgement, and construction knowledge. Tolerant of the inexperience of youth, Bob has trained many of the people that are currently running work for Traylor Bros.. We hope that Bob will stay in touch and be available for consulting on construction methods, job start-up, etc., providing it doesnât interfere with trout or salmon season or deer hunting. Good luck, Bob, and thanks for all youâve done for all of us. Please enjoy your retirement. We wish you long life, happiness, and 20 grandchildren.

BOBâS CAREER SPAN INCLUDES THESE PROJECTS:

1960-1968 BETHLEHEM STEEL CORPORATION Travelers Insurance Building, Los Angeles, California Olive Street Telephone Co. Building, Los Angeles, California Titan Missile Launcher Facilities, 30 sites in 4 western states Sacramento River I5 Bridges, Red Bluff and Redding, California Pinole Point Steel Fabrication Plant and Pinole Point Galvanized Sheet Mill at Pinole, California General Motors Assembly Plant, Fremont, California Minuteman Missile Site Construction, Minot, North Dakota Middle Fork Feather River Bridge, Oroville, California Fox Plaza Building, San Francisco, California Alcoa Building, San Francisco, California Federal Office Building, San Francisco, California John Day River Bridge, Dalles, Oregon South Fork of Feather River Bridge, Oroville, California BART Market Street Stations, San Francisco, California

1968-1980 WILLAMETTE WESTERN CORPORATION Libby Dam Reservoir Bridge, Eureka, Montana Swinomish Channel Bridge, Anacortes, Washington Upper Columbia River Construction Co., Pasco, Washington Union Pacific Railroad Bridge, Kennewick, Washington Delta Refit Pier and Cofferdam for the Drydock at the Naval Submarine Base at Bangor, Washington Terminal 37, Port of Seattle, Phase II, Seattle, Washington

1981-1987 UMPQUA RIVER NAVIGATION Channel Improvements Project at Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River, Pasco, Washington1987-1990 Independent consulting

1990-1997 Traylor Bros. 49th Street Bridge, Tampa, Florida Cooper River-Urban Section, Charleston, South Carolina James Island Expressway, Charleston, South Carolina Mid-Bay Bridge, Destin, Florida Gramercy Bridge, West Approach, Gramercy, Louisiana Vilano Bridge, Vilano Beach, Florida Buckman Bridges, Jacksonville, Florida

The Story of a Man Named DON

Donald Eugene Hummel, a Registered Professional Engineer, graduated from the University of Missouri ('61), in Columbia, MO, with a BS in Civil Engineering. Donald finished college on a Friday and began his career with Massman Construction Co. the next Monday morning that June of 1961. He retired in October 1992, having spent all his years with Massman except for 18 months in 1966-67 when he was a civilian employee of the Air Force in Turkey. In November 1961, he married Sharilyn Holzman of Topeka, Kansas, and they had two sons--Brad, 34, of Los Angeles, California, and Jeff, 29, of Baton Rouge, LA. Both sons are married and work as computer engineers. Sharilyn is deceased. Don started as a young field engineer, progressed to project engineer, and managed his first project at age 30. The major projects on which he worked through the years include: Greenup Dam, Portsmouth, OH; Carlyle Reservoir, Carlyle, IL; St. Louis, MO, Floodwall; I-270 MS River Brdg, St. Louis, MO; San Luis Pass Brdg, Galveston, TX; I-40 MS River Brdg, Memphis, TN; I-155 MS River Brdg, Caruthersville, MO; I-110 MS River Brdg, Luling, LA; Greater New Orleans MS River Bridge, LA (His largest and most challenging project - $48M); East Belt Freeway AR River Brdg, Little Rock, AR; Hwy 1 White River Brdg, St. Charles, AR; Yazoo River Dam, Greenwood, MS; Isle of Palms Brdg, Charleston, SC. In 1989, in Greenwood, MS, Don met and married Kate, who willingly became a follower to his construction sites! Kate has two married sons in Greenwood--Andrew, 30, Circulation Mgr. of the local paper, and Robert, 26, employed in marketing by Viking Range Corporation. Don came out of '

Traylor Bros. Vol. 9, No. 1 Spring 1997 EDITORS: MARGIE BERNICK & CYNTHIA GRIFFITH