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Project Calls For Unusual Techniques

Project Calls For Unusual Techniques

Ductile iron pipe installed at 23-foot depth in wet, fine sands and silts


By Edited by Aram Kalousdian | August 11, 2010

52,000-square-foot Tendercare Health Center, which will be an adult assisted living center, is being constructed on 6 acres off of Marsh Road in Meridian Township, MI. The $12-million project began in October 2007 and is scheduled for completion in June.

L.D. Clark Excavating Company's scope of work included clearing and grubbing; excavating and filling 8 feet deep across the project site; placing 1,500 feet of water main with two roadway bore and jacks; placing 3,000 feet of storm sewer and 670 feet of sanitary sewer by directional drill and open cut; site excavating and grading; parking lot construction and asphalt paving.

Clark Foundation Co., of Lansing, MI, another of the L.D. Clark Companies, was also awarded a contract for building foundation concrete, concrete floors and site concrete for this project. The Tendercare project site was not served by public water, sanitary or storm sewer.

An 8-inch water main loop was constructed with two roadway bore and jacks beneath five-lane Marsh Road. Existing high-pressure gas mains on both sides of Marsh Road and major telephone fiber optic cables made the installation difficult.

Due to the site being adjacent to a major wetland, and no storm sewer existing at the site, the project design called for installation of 3,000 linear feet of 30-inch perforated high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe that was bedded in 3,000 tons of 1.5-inch crushed stone. This storm sewer is installed beneath the parking lot, and allows storage of rain water to permit discharge at an acceptable rate to the adjacent wetlands.

The sanitary sewer installation required several unusual techniques. Because no sanitary sewer was available to the site, a new sanitary sewer main extension was required from a Meridian Township pump station on the east side of Marsh Road. TR Flex ductile iron pipe was to be installed at a 23-foot depth in very wet, fine sands and silts. The route called for boring under Marsh Road and the Mud Creek Drain, which is a flowing stream in a major wetland area. Due to the depth of the pipe, very wet soil conditions, restricted work area, and major utilities within the area, L. D. Clark Excavating elected to use deep well dewatering, three bore pits and directional drilling to install the 8-inch sanitary sewer main.

The bore pits served to install both the pipe and the required manholes. Two large pits, one on each side of Marsh Road, were constructed using 500,000 pounds of Slide Rail Shoring. L.D. Clark Excavating used their Cat 365 excavator for shoring installation and removal due to depth, reach and weight considerations. Due to the rigid TR Flex sewer pipe required by Meridian Township and site space constraints, the pipe, although directionally drilled, had to be installed one joint at a time, as opposed to stringing the pipe and pulling it back through the bore in a conventional method.

The prime contractor for the project is B.C.I. Construction, of Grand Rapids, MI. L.D. Clark Excavating Company employees on the project included: Dave Clark, vice president and project manager; Dan Clark, excavating superintendent; Bill Beard, excavating foreman; and Jim Chapman, estimator. Rick Strank is an estimator for Clark Foundation Co.

Major subcontractors to L.D. Clark Excavating Company included: Lowe Construction, of Horton, MI (roadway bore and jack); G & G Directional Drilling, of Portland, MI; Pro—Tec Equipment, of Charlotte, MI (Slide Rail Shoring System); and Rieth-Riley, of Lansing, MI (asphalt paving).

 

Project: Installation of water main, sanitary sewer and storm sewer for Tendercare Health Center in Meridian Township, MI

Prime contractor: B.C.I. Construction, of Grand Rapids, MI

Underground subcontractor: L.D. Clark Excavating Company, of Lansing, MI
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