ABERDEEN — Always mixing and tweaking, industrial engineers continue working to develop the right concrete recipe and process to build the strongest pontoons possible for the upcoming Highway 520 project.
Eventually, most of the pontoon construction work will be done in Aberdeen or Hoquiam, but for now, testing is being done at Satsop Development Park.
Work crews recently started work on a scaled-down test pontoon and state Department of Transportation officials say the experimentation at Satsop is resulting in important advances in pontoon construction.
Project engineer Scott Ireland said in a news release the testing is an important formula comparison and rehearsal before the pontoons go into production.
“We’ve had to address constructability issues,” he said, “so we can figure out and correct those concerns before getting into building the actual pontoons.” Engineers focus on developing formulas and casting procedures that improve concrete curing time, strength and durability. They are also concerned about reducing cracks and making sure the concrete holds up in both salt and fresh water conditions.
Aberdeen-based Quigg Brothers Co. construction crews are assembling a test pontoon, just one-sixth of the size of the final massive 300-by-75 foot pontoons slated to support a new Evergreen Floating Bridge for Highway 520 in Seattle. Rebar supports jut out of the concrete sections as they are fitted together at the park.
The $2.7 million testing contract is a preliminary step before a new pontoon graving dock is built along the Harbor later this year to construct the 33 immense pontoons. Transportation officials have recommended building the facility at a former Weyerhaeuser sorting yard in Aberdeen, but continue to consider an alternative site in Hoquiam. The facility is expected to create hundreds of construction and operational jobs when work begins later this year.
The Kiewit Corp. of Omaha, Neb., and the General Construction Co. of Poulsbo, two joint ventures involved in the Hood Canal Bridge project, have entered the lowest bid for the facility at $367.3 million — $180 million less than officials expected.
Transportation officials reported this week they have been working with the companies to approve a contract for the facility with about a week left in the approval window for an official bid award.
Ireland said the “advanced construction methods and engineering” work at the Satsop Development Park has allowed design efforts to move forward without waiting for the graving dock to be completed. He said the site also saved time on permitting because the mixed-use park is already approved for similar testing work.
“Working at Satsop has facilitated the schedule to get this done as soon as possible,” Ireland in the release. “We knew that in advance of the actual 520 Pontoon Project we needed a site that was available and that would facilitate being able to go right to work.”
Development park facilities offered immediate space and flexibility to help get the work started as soon as possible, Tami Garrow, CEO of Satsop Development Park, said.
“We’re honored to be a part of the project and thankful to DOT for thinking of us,” she said. “It’s exciting for us to play a small part in this big operation that will bring so many new jobs to Grays Harbor.”
Information from: The Daily World, www.thedailyworld.com
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