Building Industry Magazine - September 2011 - (Page 26)

ConceptToCompletion Unlimited Construction Services, Inc. Recognized by the County of Kaua‘i for “environmentally sensitive work and for setting an outstanding example for future projects.” Wailua Cane Haul Bridge Princeville, Kaua‘i Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas • 1,500 cubic yards of scrap wood and gypsum boa ground on site and used for dust control. Applied in project for disintegration by job completion • 150 cubic yards of concrete recycled and used in non-structural fill • Tire wash installed on site reducing mud on public r Stretching the maile across the new Wailua Cane Haul Bridge the National Tropical Botanical Gardens morning of Kaua‘i’s first LEED certified building, Kalaheo, Kaua‘i the blessing By Job Completion: Photo by Ron Kosen/Photo-Spectrum Traffic Mitigation The $29 million widening of Wailua Cane Haul Bridge, in which a new 510-foot, two-lane Acrow panel steel bridge was built on top of a narrow one-lane bridge once used to haul sugar cane, has helped traffic flow much more smoothly on Kauai’s east side. The new Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste Memorial Bridge, along with the Wailua River Bridge that runs parallel to it, now allows for two lanes of traffic in each direction. Getting to this point involved a series of scheduling and logistical complexities for general contractor, Unlimited Builders, LLC, and its 15 subcontractors, stemming primarily from the project’s location in what the state Department of Transportation (DOT) has called one of the busiest corridors in the state – and the only thoroughfare for motorists who need to cross the Wailua River. When the old cane haul bridge was closed for reconstruction, all three existing lanes of traffic had to be squeezed onto the two-lane river bridge, making for even tighter traffic. The DOT also required that all construction activity be conducted between rush hour commute times, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and only on weekdays, leaving limited hours for intricate road work. Night work • 50 cubic yards of concrete recycled, returned to concrete plant • 100 square yards of asphalt recycled from parking lot, used for road base • 30 cubic yards of metals recycled • Crushed recycled glass used for pipe bedding fill Launching the Bridge To support the weight of the new bridge and the attached makai-side License path, structural pedestrian/bike #s ABC 16638/ABC 27106 steel Kauai Office: Oahu Office: 1696 Haleukana St. • Lihue, HI 96766 onto existing • Honolulu, HI 96814 supports were 808.245.6611 1580 Makaloa St.,•Suite 808.944.9622 added Ph: 808.944.1007 Fax: 1115 Ph: 808.241.1400 • Fax: unlimited@unlimitedhawaii.com piers and new concrete bent caps www.unlimitedhawaii.com were constructed on both the north and south sides of the bridge. “This was the first steel highway bridge ever constructed by Unlimited. We had it launched in a little over a week,” explains Tom DeGroote, Unlimited’s project engineer. “It went faster than I projected.” For engineer DeGroote, working with the 19 drilled shafts, all 5 feet in diameter and half of them as deep as 87 feet – and placing rebar spiral cages inside them – was the best part of the project. All the cages were lowered into the shafts by crane; the longest one at 143 feet was lifted in two pieces. “From a construction point of view, it was fascinating to me,” comments DeGroote. “There were 19 shafts and on every single one of them, something different happened. You solved one issue then moved onto another shaft. We resolved any issues by working together. This was the best job I’ve ever been on.” The bridge also is one of first galvanized bridges in Hawaii to be painted, which is intended to help combat the corrosive, constant was prohibited from mid-September through mid-December by laws protecting the endangered Newell’s Shearwater, a seabird that becomes disoriented by bright lights at night, causing it to crash to the ground. As if that weren’t enough, add substantial design modifications that took place after work began; unexpected utility relocations and two tsunami warnings that could have affected the oceanfront jobsite during the 22-month project. In spite of all the challenges, DOT Highways Division is pleased with how it all came out. “It went together exactly how we thought it would,” says Raymond McCormick, Kauai district engineer for DOT Highways. “It’s a goodlooking little bridge. It’s functional. It’s going to last the road users a long time. “Unlimited Builders and Bow Construction Management, our project manager, are just tremendous to work with,” McCormick adds. Alex Pascual, vice president of Bow Construction Management, says the project was one that the whole company was glad to be part of. “We knew it was going to be a challenge,” he says. “Now that it’s finished, we’re certainly glad that our client likes it. I think that’s success.” KSF, Inc., ParEn and Geolabs were the project designers. 26 | BUILDING INDUSTRY | SEPTEMBER 2011 Unlimited

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Building Industry Magazine - September 2011

Building Industry Magazine Cover
Contents
Datebook
ABC Hawaii Appreciates Members
PV Installation Under Way on Hickam Homes
Hilton Project Reaches Major Milestone
FBI Building New Hawaii Office
Contracts Awarded
Belt Collins Wins Awards
Kauai
Concept to Completion: Wailua Cane Haul Bridge Widening
Local Firms Unveil Greenest Home in Hawaii
Civic Center Goes Net Zero
Inside the GCA
Center Park and Ride Facility
Guam
Best Practices
Low Bids
Developments in Industry Technology
News Makers
New Products

Building Industry Magazine - September 2011