Environmental Impacts

Editor: Ashley Steele 

Two 
functionally obsolete and structurally deficient bridges crossing the Neuse River in Craven County, North Carolina needed replacing.  However, both bridges are in the middle of wetland and marsh areas with protected wildlife species.


In order to
 handle the delicate local fish habitats, special measures were taken to keep these locations stable.  Sanford Contractors out of Lemon County were awarded the $13.8 Million job.  After over 50 years in business, Sanford is no stranger to jobs that have environmental impacts.  When it came time to replace the 400- and 600-foot bridges, they turned to ICE® to provide environmentally safe equipment.  


An ICE® I-62 Diesel 
Impact Pile Hammer with a concrete cap was used to drive 36" caissons into the riverbed.  The concrete cap was instrumental in making sure the vibrations from the driving of the piles did not disturb the fish in the river.  These fish mitigation measures are becoming more prevalent in today's construction environment to protect wildlife.


Once the two replacement bridges are built, the old bridges will be demolished from the top down, pulling existing piles out of the riverbed.  This job will affect
 roughly 1,800 commuters a day.  
This is an ongoing project with work to be completed by late 2024.

Media Contact-
 
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA 
Director Marketing, Brand and Media Relations 
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc 
Office - 704-821-8200 
Email - marketing@iceusa.com 

Posted in Diesel Impact Pile Hammers. Tagged as Building Bridges, Environmental Impacts, Fish Habitats, ICE I-62 Diesel Hammer.

Driving on the Rail

SouthCoast Rail Project- Boston
Editor: Ashley Steele

The 
SouthCoast Rail project is a multi-phase project which will bring new commuter rail service to the south Boston area towns.  These towns have never had commuter access and with this addition it will ease traffic and commuting times.  In total, six new commuter stations will be added along with over 36 miles of reconstructed rail lines.

Phase 1 of this project, which is now underway, has been funded with $1 billion dollars of state revenue bonds.  As a part of this phase, Middlesex-Perini JV has been tasked with installing sheet piling for pedestrian platforms.  These platforms will be built next to the commuter train and will offer a safe walkway to the nearest roadway if the train stops.   This will allow riders to 
make it to a bus or rideshare option quickly, instead of being delayed by the stopped train.
Middlesex-Perini JV is using an ICE® 33 Vibratory
 Driver/Extractor to place over 25,000 wall feet for the platforms.  These Z piles will act as the foundation for the safest pedestrian platforms.  Due to the placement of these platforms, Middlesex-Perini JV had to utilize the railroad tracks in order to get the job done.  They were able to utilize an electric train to pull the crane and train cars with the pilings as they worked.  By using this tactic, they were able to move down the rail and place the piles as they traveled, saving time and money.  

Media Contact-
 
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA 
Director Marketing, Brand and Media Relations 
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc 
Office - 704-821-8200 
Email - marketing@iceusa.com 

Posted in Vibratory Pile Hammers. Tagged as 33 Vibratory Pile Driver/Extractor, Boston, ICEUSA, Infrastructure, Rail work, Railroad, Southcoast Rail Project.

Trading Up

Editor: Ashley Steele 

Mumford and Miller had been using an ICE® 612 Vibratory Driver/Extractor for over 30 years.  When the company, based out of Middletown, Delaware, won the bid to replace the Garrison boat ramp they decided it was time to trade up for something newer and stronger. 

The job in Dover, Delaware is part of a larger project to refresh and reconstruct the area on the Garrisons Lake.  It will include a new boat ramp, installation of a courtesy dock, repaving of the parking lot and new restroom facilities.  For the reconstruction of the new boat ramp, Mumford and Miller is using a newly purchased ICE® 44B Vibratory Driver/Extractor to install PZ-27 sheet piles of 35' length into the lakebed.  After all the sheets have been driven the concrete for the ramp will be poured, cured and then the piles will be removed with the same vibratory driver. 

This is an ongoing project with the boat ramp being the first phase to be completed.  Work began in July of 2021 and is scheduled to finish December 1st of 2021. 

Media Contact- 
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA 
Director Marketing, Brand and Media Relations 
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc 
Office - 704-821-8200 
Email - marketing@iceusa.com 

 

Posted in Vibratory Pile Hammers. Tagged as 44B Vibratory Hammer, Boat Ramp, Garrisons Lake, PZ-27 Sheet piles.

Congratulations! PDCA 2021 Project of the Year Winner

Editor: Ashley Steele

The US 21 Bridge in Beaufort County, South Carolina was built under the New Deal Program set up by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1940's.  The swing-span bridge was built to put people to work during the Great Depression.  It is the only vehicular connection between the mainland of South Carolina and Harbor Island, Fripp Island, and Hunting Island.  However, the bridge had many safety concerns as well as rising maintenance costs.

The United Infrastructure Group (UIG) stepped in with a solution, the Harbor River Bridge Project.  The new 65-foot-high bridge will provide uninterrupted access for sailing and shrimping vessels along the river below and safer, wider lanes for motorists.  The new bridge has 12-foot-wide lanes and a 10-foot-wide shoulder.  This allows the ability to turn the bridge into a 4-lane emergency route during hurricane evacuations. 


When it came time to construct the bridge United Infrastructure Group decided to use 3 different types of driven pile.  To drive the piles in the river the company had to construct special barges in order to hold and maneuver the equipment.  They used 3 different ICE® Diesel Impact hammers on the 3 different pile types.  The ICE® 46v2 Diesel Hammer was used to drive the steel piles that created the end bents for the bridge and the fender system by driving the 20" PSC concrete piles. For the interior bents UIG used the ICE® 80v2 Diesel Hammer to drive 24" PSC concrete pilings.  14" timber piles were driven with the ICE® 19v2 Diesel Hammer to complete ground improvements.


Due to the proximity of many wildlife habitats, many different mitigating measures were instituted to protect local species.  The work had to be completed around oyster beds, sea turtle mating, sturgeons, and the endangered bald eagle's nests.  The diesel hammers had to be slowly ramped up during the span of the project to deter local marine species from the work area.  During sea turtle mating season, the job had to remain in complete darkness for 8 hours, so that the moon was visible for the turtles.  Throughout the project there were two separate hurricane scares, which required all equipment to be carefully secured to prevent any catastrophic damage to wildlife that may occur because of adverse weather conditions.


The new 3,353-foot Harbor River Bridge is a testament to ingenuity and design, overcoming many obstacles during its construction.  The Bridge opened to motorist on April 26, 2021, 2 months ahead of the scheduled completion date.


PDCA 2021 Project of the Year Publications

Media Contact-
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA 
Director Marketing, Brand and Media Relations 
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc 
Office - 704-821-8200 
Email - marketing@iceusa.com 

 

Posted in Diesel Impact Pile Hammers. Tagged as Concrete Piles, Harbor Bridge, ICE 19v2 Diesel Hammer, ICE 80v2 Diesel Hammer, ICE I-46 Diesel Hammer.

Installing Earthquake Drains

Editor:  Ashley Steele 

The Clements Ferry Road Phase 2 widening project is designed to help create a safer and more efficient roadway in Charleston, South Carolina.  The project will widen the highway from 2 to 4 lanes with a multi-use path and a planted interior median.  The $44 Million dollar project will assist over 14,000 commuters a day who use this route. 

Before any of the road or bridge work can be completed, the foundation work must be laid, including earthquake drains.  These earthquake drains will mitigate damage in the event of an earthquake, and aid in stopping liquefaction.  US Wick is the contractor installing these drains to keep the community safe.  

US Wick is utilizing an ICE® 8E Excavator Mounted Hammer with a 2 Meter extension to place the 20' piles.  These driven piles will act as stabilizers throughout any seismic activity, so the roads and median don't collapse into the ground.  This is an important step in the second phase of the project, and getting it done in a time efficient manner is important to stay on track for a 2024 completion date. 

Media Contact- 
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA 
Director Marketing, Brand and Media Relations 
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc 
Office - 704-821-8200 
Email - marketing@iceusa.com 

Posted in Vibratory Pile Hammers. Tagged as Earthquake Drains, Excavator Mounted 8E, Extension.