the summer of 2014, the North Carolina legislature passed a law
requiring Duke Energy to clean up the coal ash ponds at the old
coal plant, and Duke began preparing to refurbish and expand the
siding in order to haul coal ash off site to a disposal area. Due to the
quantities of cars needed, this would have effectively cut off BBII’s
access to the main bridges.
BBII immediately began working with the NCDOT and
Duke Energy’s contractor to accelerate construction on the
bridges crossing the siding, while still accommodating the renovation
of the tracks. By mobilizing additional crews and equipment,
and fast-tracking construction, BBII was able to complete
the bridges across the siding before any impacts to the project.
After switching access to the new bridges,
BBII removed the at-grade crossing before
access was impacted.
Throughout this development, Boyd
and the BBII team made sure that they
were working in compliance to the BBII’s
global Zero Harm program, which emphasizes
the importance of worker safety, public
safety and environmental mitigation.
Environmental considerations
BBII worked tirelessly in order to meet all
of the permit conditions. In fact, the team
had to plan the entire schedule around the
permit. The permit restricting in-water
work created a challenge because it applied
to Toomers Creek, a small tributary that
crossed the bridge alignment halfway
through the swamp.
The early schedule was driven by
the in-water work moratoriums around
Toomer Creek. During the first part of the
project, BBII built trestle and new bridge
up to the restricted zone. Then when the
in-water work period began, BBII had seven
months to complete 15 spans of new bridge
and pull the trestle behind the operation to avoid leaving trestle
stranded until the next work period. The trestle was pulled with
time to spare and BBII continued advancing through the swamp.
Cleanliness of the swamp was also a vital consideration. BBII
constantly monitored operations to make sure materials and trash
were not left in the swamp. Monthly jobsite inspections with all the
involved parties, including NCDOT, CAMA, NCDENR and the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, were instrumental in successfully
minimizing delays and ensuring all environmental conditions in the
permits were strictly followed. The team’s consistent attention to
detail enabled BBII to be successful in meeting all of the expectations
of the permits. t
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
H.B. FLEMING
Contracting - Engineering
H.B. Fleming specializes in pile driving, excavation support,
cofferdam installation and subaqueous pipelines throughout
northern New England.
89 Pleasant Avenue South Portland, Maine 04106
(207) 799-8514 (207) 799-8538 (fax) www.hbfleming.com
PILEDRIVER | 89
/www.hbfleming.com
