ICE® 28D Casts Its Line in Canada

 
ICE® 28D Casts Its Line in Canada 
Editor: Allison Braswell
 

Prince Edward Island, a Canadian province just north of Maine, features several harbours that welcome commercial fishers and tourists to immerse themselves in the most unique deep-sea fishing experiences. Graham Pond Harbour, for instance, sees over $4 million annually in landings for lobster, snow crab, mackerel, herring, silversides, scallop, and tuna. It is home to 64 commercial, transient, and recreational vessels. Concurrently, wave pressure has weakened the sheet piling of the harbour's wharf structure originally constructed in 1987. The harbours of PEI are vital to its fishing industry, so extending the life of the existing Graham Pond structure will improve services to harbour users.  

Gaudette's Transit Mix of Tignish, PEI won a $1.4 million government-sponsored project to update the wharf area and seawall where lobster boats take nightly refuge from the rough waters of the Northumberland Strait. The first step of the process was to replace the 35-year-old failing sheet pile with some new 45' (ft) AZ-26-400 sheet pile. Due to the rough shape of the old sheets and surrounding seawall, the fear of pulling all the old sheets at once and causing the land to give way and erode into the water was a huge risk that could have stalled the momentum and affect the success of the project. 

The team's new solution was to pull two sheets at a time and then replace those two immediately to minimize the water from eroding the soils. Using their recently purchased ICE® 28D vibratory hammer, the sheets extracted even faster than they hoped. Trying to avoid exposing the soil to the moving water made the driving process more of a challenge, so setting the sheets as pairs and repositioning the hammer to fully drive one sheet at a time was found to be most efficient. Applying a 6" (in) weld to the top and bottom of the sheets kept them in alignment during moving and setting. By opening the top weld, the ICE® 28D was able to break the lower, unexposed weld while repositioning the hammer and installing the sheets. The idea proved to work flawlessly, and the team was able to drive a pair of 45' (ft) sheets within 20 minutes.   

Gaudette's shift from the use of their air hammer to ICE®'s hydraulically-operated pile driving equipment shortened their project time by about 5 weeks' time. Thank you to Gaudette for choosing ICE® to help you accelerate your tasks at Graham Pond. This revived harbour will fuel the freedom that fishers find out on the open water as they work hard to deliver the finest quality of seafood to the world, or just to create fond memories! 

Learn more about the ICE® 28D

 

Media Contact-    
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA    
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations 

Vice President IT and IT Comm 
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc    
Office - 704-821-8200    
Email - marketing@iceusa.com 

Posted in Vibratory Pile Hammers. Tagged as Canada, ICE 28D, Seawalls, Sheet Pile.

Diverting Waters at Illinois River


Diverting Waters at Illinois River
Editor: Allison Braswell 

The McClugage Bridge has been carrying over 20,000 daily commuters over the Illinois River to and from Peoria, IL for nearly 75 years. As weather, vehicle use, and salt used in snow removal have caused the bridge to deteriorate, it has finally come time to commence some long-awaited improvements. Reconstruction of the eastbound span of the bridge began in 2019. This 3-lane structure requires 22 new piers, each of which is 11' (ft) wide and rises 30 to 40' (ft) in the air. It will also include a 14' (ft) multi-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists. But like every successful building project, securing support for the bridge and all its features starts with a sturdy foundation. 

IDOT awarded American Bridge Company of Coraopolis, PA with the opportunity to create a dry workspace for building the piers that will support the structure's 40 million pounds of steel. They chose the ICE® 44B Vibratory Hammer/Extractor to drive both vertical and battered pipe pile measuring 32" (inch) in diameter and 50' (ft) in length to form a watertight enclosure around the worksite. To help maintain a dry working environment for the crew, the ICE® I-80 Diesel Impact Hammer is also being used to further drive the templates to a depth that will keep water from seeping up into the other side of the wall. Any water that does make its way inside the enclosure can be removed with bypass pumps. When underwater construction is needed, cofferdams are a much safer option for controlling water flow compared to other methods like using divers. 

The new eastbound McClugage Bridge is expected to open in late 2023. An additional year of project work will be dedicated to the completion of the bridge over Adams Street and removal of the old structure. Excellent work so far to the experts at American Bridge! Commuters of Peoria are thrilled to see an increase in safety and a reduction in travel times upon the project's completion. 

Learn more about the ICE® 44B and ICE® I-80 

 

Media Contact-    
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA    
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations 

Vice President IT and IT Comm 
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc    
Office - 704-821-8200    
Email - marketing@iceusa.com 

Posted in Diesel Impact Pile Hammers, Vibratory Pile Hammers. Tagged as Bridge, Cofferdam, ICE 44B, ICE I-80 Diesel Impact Hammer, Infrastructure, Marine Foundation.

GROUP Bubble Chemistry


GROUP Bubble Chemistry
Editor: Allison Braswell

Have you ever wondered what causes soap to foam up in your hands when you wash them? You can look to alkoxylation--a chemical process that creates surfactants, or substances that reduce surface tension of liquid in products like shampoos, toothpastes, and detergents. Stepan Company is a global manufacturer of surfactants, and they are working on branching out their alkoxylation capabilities even further in the U.S. Gulf Coast. The company is modifying its existing facility in Pasadena, TX by adding a new $220 million plant to the site that will help serve the growing global demand for everything from disinfectants to agricultural solutions. 

GROUP Contractors out of Baton Rouge, LA was awarded the opportunity to install augured cast-in-place piles (ACIP) for the plant's foundation. The team drilled 24-inch-diameter ACIP piles at a 100' depth using their newly owned ICE® HB-85 Hydraulic Rotary Head powered by an ICE® 460T Power Unit. By applying its high-speed or high-torque settings, this package can pre-drill through the toughest soil conditions and boost drilling production. 

Once operational in 2023, the site will position Stepan with a footprint in the U.S. Gulf Coast and contribute to its global sweep of providing innovative chemical solutions. Congratulations to GROUP on your purchase of an ICE® HB-85 Drill. Thank you for building the foundations that enable us to help the world be tidy and clean! 

Learn more about the ICE® HB-85 and how the ICE® 460T maximizes its performance

 

Media Contact-    
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA    
Vice President Marketing, Brand and Media Relations 

Vice President IT and IT Comm 
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc    
Office - 704-821-8200    
Email - marketing@iceusa.com 

 

Posted in Drill Mast, ICE Team. Tagged as 460T Power Unit, Auger Cast, Commercial Build, Gulf Coast, HB-85 Drill.

Equipping Hospital to Combat Health Crises


Equipping Hospital to Combat Health Crises 

Editor: Allison Braswell 

 

It has never been more important than now to invest in healthcare infrastructure to strengthen efforts against current and future health crisis. Leaders at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC knew a solution was needed to adapt to the growing needs of this community. A new $450 million care tower was approved to be constructed at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Located in the former Parking Deck B, the newest care tower will expand access to critical services including an upgraded emergency department, plush operating rooms, and state of the art intensive care units.  

Geo Stabilization International (GSI) is coordinating the construction of a shotcrete wall for shoring on the project. GSI's contractor used the ICE® Comacchio MC22 Drill Rig to install the anchor bar and 340 soil nails to secure the wall to the rocky formation. The 30' (ft) stroke with single pass ability of the ICE® Comacchio MC22 made a smooth installation of the 20' (ft) tie-back anchors. Additionally, use of air rotary methods with a drag bit and downhole (DTH) hammer made drilling in the very firm to rocky formation a simpler process. 

Thank you to GSI for investing in ICE® drilling to help Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center build a better approach to healthcare.  

Learn more about the ICE® Comacchio MC22 and other multipurpose rigs of the Comacchio fleet. 

 


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 Comacchio Drill Rigs, ICE Team. Tagged as Comacchio, Commercial Build, Community, Infrastructure, Tie-Back Anchors.

Biggest Infrastructure Project in the Nation


Biggest Infrastructure Project in the Nation
112-Year-Old Train Bridge to be Replaced 

Editor: Allison Braswell

Since the construction of Portal Bridge in 1910, it has become the busiest rail line in the entire Western Hemisphere. This swing-style rail bridge that spans the Hackensack River from Kearney to Secaucus, NJ has been working on her last legs. One out of seven times the bridge opens, it fails to close properly. Operational issues like this have been the culprit of major train delays and heavy boat traffic for years--sometimes causing trains to be backed up all the way to Boston. With over 450 trains passing over the bridge every day, NJ Transit decided to act and put an end to the commuting nightmares. 

As of Summer 2022, replacement of the aging Portal Bridge has commenced. The Skanska/Traylor Bros PNB Joint Venture (STJV) was given the $1.56 billion (about $5 per person in the USA) contract to replace the Portal Bridge with a new two-track, high-level, fixed-span bridge--representing the single largest construction award in NJ Transit history. The new Portal North Bridge will allow river traffic to pass underneath without interrupting rail traffic. 

STJV wanted the most reliable tools to use for the country's most important infrastructure project. They purchased two ICE® I-62 Diesel Impact Hammers and rented a variety of Vibratory Driver/Extractors including the ICE® 66C, ICE® 50B, and ICE® 22D to handle the work on this project. So far, the contractors have pre-driven 24" (inch) pipe pile for the foundation by combining the power of their vibratory hammers, and then securing the pile with their diesel hammers. 

Congratulations to STJV on their investment in several ICE® deep foundation products. We look forward to servicing your tools as you continue to build a safer rail system for NJ! 

Learn more about the ICE® I-62V2 and our variety of ICE® vibratory drivers and extractors.  

 

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, Vibratory Pile Hammers. Tagged as Bridge, Elevated Highways, ICE 22 Vibratory Pile Driver, ICE 50B Vibratory Driver/Extractor, ICE 66C, ICE I-62 Diesel Hammer, Infrastructure, Rail work, Railroad.