By Cindy RileyCEG CORRESPONDENT

After three years, major improvements tothe Birmingham Water Works’ century-oldShades Mountain Filter Plant inBirmingham, Ala., are now complete. In August 2009, general contractor B.L.

Harbert International LLC (BLHI), beganwork on the facility, which is located offHighway 280 just three mi. south of down-town. Construction on the $41 million proj-ect was finished in June 2012.“The plant needed to increase its storage

capacity and upgrade its existing pumpingsystem to comply with updated state andfederal regulations. It varied throughout theduration of construction, but the maximumnumber of personnel on site was around 125at one time,” said Jeremy Pipkin, LEED APwith BLHI. Pipkin said the objective of the Phase II

upgrade project at the plant is to increase thewater storage capacity of the plant by 600percent, while consolidating pumping oper-ations and upgrading electrical systems forthe entire plant. This will add two six-mil-lion-gallon pre-stressed concrete clearwells,a transfer pump station, a finished waterpump station, a new electrical building and anew lime treatment facility. A total of 16 hor-izontal split case pumps and three verticalturbine pumps will be added to the plant,which will replace the plant’s older pumpsthat are spread throughout the campus. The project also adds approximately

7,000 linear ft. (2,133 m) of large diameterductile iron pipe ranging from 24 to 60 in.(61 to 152 cm) in diameter. This new pipeties into the existing lines of the system in 19different tie-in locations. A majority of theexisting lines are between 50 and 100 yearsold and require tie-in with custom fittings totie ductile iron pipe to cast iron lines andconcrete cylinder pipe with no existingmeans to stop the current flow. Differentmethods are utilized to temporarily stop theflow to allow the tie-ins to occur. In somecases line stops were utilized to facilitate thisand in other cases divers were sent into the

existing operating clearwell to plug the linesexiting the clearwell. “The biggest challenge was working

around the existing piping and structures ofthe 100-plus-year-old facility,” said Pipkin.“We had to make certain to protect existingpiping while installing the new 28-feet deeptransfer pump station. We were also tying into several existing pipes in the system whereflow needed to be stopped prior to the tie-inwork commencing. We accomplished stop-ping flow by utilizing line stops in somecases. In other cases we put divers in theexisting clearwell to perform camera obser-vation of the lines. After we observed thelines we knew which ones to plug to stopflow. We also had to make certain that ouractions onsite did not affect the distributionservice since the system for the city relies onseveral different filter and pump stations tobalance the supply of water to customers.” Pipkin continued, “We used equipment

from mini-excavators to D-10 dozers and lit-

Shades Mountain Filter Plant Receives Improvements

ALABAMA STATE EDITION A Supplement to:

Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479

“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”

see PLANT page 6Excavation for 60-in. (152 cm) ductile iron pipe. Photo courtesy of B.L. Harbert International LLC

December 122012

Vol. XXIV • No. 25Mobile

Dothan

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Anniston

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HuntsvilleFlorence

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BirminghamBessemer

Tuscaloosa

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Phenix City

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Main service line tie-in. Photo courtesy of B.L. Harbert International LLC

Page 2 • December 12, 2012 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

The Alabama State Department of Transportationreceived bids for transportation-related improvementprojects.Following is a list of some of the projects let.

County: AutaugaContract ID:NHF-0006(535).Project:Additional lanes (grade, drainage, pavement andsignals) on SR-6 (U.S.-82) from near SR-206 to SR-14 inPrattville.Distance: 2.407 mi.Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Wiregrass Construction Company Inc. — $4,634,058• Chilton Contractors Inc. — $4,935,446• Apac Mid-South Inc. — $5,307,073

County: LimestoneContract ID: IM-I565(310).Project:Micro-milling, resurfacing and traffic stripe on I-565 from MP 5.13 to MP 7.025 in Huntsville.Distance: 5.22 mi.Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Good Hope Contracting Company Inc. — $1,179,219• Apac Mid-South Inc. — $1,213,027• Wiregrass Construction Company Inc. — $1,217,602

County: BaldwinContract ID:ACBRZ58314-ATRP(001).Project: Bridge replacement and approaches on CR-134(Truck Route 17) at Hollinger Creek southwest ofGateswood.Distance: .40 mi.Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• McInnis Construction LLC — $1,828,706• Murphree Bridge Corporation — $1,965,596• Gulf Equipment Corporation — $2,039,959

County: HenryContract ID:ACNU58228-ATRP(001).Project: Resurfacing and traffic stripe on CR-65 from SR-95 to SR-10 in Shorterville.Distance: 7.23 mi.Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Apac Mid-South Inc. — $1,002,550• Wiregrass Construction Company Inc. — $1,034,262

County: AutaugaContract ID:ACNU58333-ATRP(001).Project: Resurfacing and traffic stripe on CR-1 from SR-14 near Burnsville to SR-6 (U.S.-82) near Billingsley.Distance: 14.11 mi.Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Asphalt Contractors Inc. — $1,946,848• Wiregrass Construction Company Inc. — $1,948,857• Apac Mid-South Inc. — $2,069,844

County: HoustonContract ID:ACNU58539-ATRP(001).Project: Resurfacing and traffic stripe on CR-69 and CR-

77 (South Rocky Creek Road) from Hickory Grove Roadto U.S.-84 east in Ashford.Distance: 11.84 mi.Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Apac Mid-South Inc. — $1,926,644• Wiregrass Construction Company Inc. — $2,073,367

County: CovingtonContract ID:ACNU58543-ATRP(001).Project: Resurfacing and traffic stripe on CR-70 from CR-49 to CR-77 northeast of Andalusia.Distance: 7.51 mi.Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Wiregrass Construction Company Inc. — $1,025,619• Apac Mid-South Inc. — $1,143,316

County: MobileContract ID: BR-0213(501).Project: Bridge replacement and approaches on SR-213 atNorton Creek in Saraland.Distance: .05 mi.Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Murphree Bridge Corporation — $831,111• Remedial Services Inc. — $939,034• Gulf Equipment Corporation — $1,001,490

County: MobileContract ID: EB-0016(510).Project: Planing, resurfacing and traffic stripe on SR-16(U.S.-90) from SR-163 to Broad Street and on SR-42(U.S.-98) from Broad Street to the Bankhead Tunnel in

Mobile.Distance: 2.94 mi.Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Hosea O. Weaver & Sons Inc. — $962,951• Mobile Asphalt Company LLC — $969,804• John G. Walton Construction Company Inc. —

$1,076,087

County: MorganContract ID:NH-HSIP-0067(505).Project: Planing, resurfacing, traffic stripe and bridge railretrofit on SR-67 from north of CR-161 (Indian HillsRoad) (MP 35.570) to SR-3 (U.S.-31) in Decatur.Distance: 3.38 mi.Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Reed Contracting Services Inc. — $1,604,057• Wiregrass Construction Company Inc. — $1,664,773• Joe Keenum Excavation & Construction Inc. –

$1,971,620

County: St. ClairContract ID: STPAA-HSIP-0025(533).Project: Planing, resurfacing and traffic stripe on SR-25(U.S.-411) from north of CR-10 (MP 174.330) throughBranchville to CR-272 (Maddox Farm Road).Distance: 9.56 mi.Contractors and Bid Amounts:

• Good Hope Contracting Company Inc. — $2,796,949• McCartney Construction Company Inc. —

$2,804,090• Apac Mid-South Inc. — $2,899,778

Montgomery • Jefferson • Talladega • Calhoun • Russell • Walker • Lawrence • Dekalb • Morgan • St. Clair • Tuscaloosa • Morgan • Shelby• Bibb •Hale • Fayette • Marion • Winston • Cullman • Shelby • Chilton • Chambers • Covington • Baldwin • Clarke • Monroe • St. Clair• Chilton • Escambia• Montgomery • Jefferson • Russell • Fayette • Conecuh • Coffee • Geneva • Montgomery • Jefferson • Talladega •Bibb • Coffee • Calhoun • Russell • • Walker• Lawrence• Dekalb • Morgan • St. Clair • Tuscaloosa • Bibb• Hale • Fayette • Monroe •Clarke • Winston • Cullman • Shelby • Chilton • Chambers • Covington • Baldwin • Clarke • Monroe • Montgomery • Jefferson • Talladega

AlabamaÉ

‘The Yellowhammer State’ Highway Project Lettings

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • December 12, 2012 • Page 3

Birmingham, AL205-841-6666Mobile, AL

251-633-4020Montgomery, AL334-262-6642

Huntsville / Decatur, AL256-350-0006Oxford, AL

256-832-5053Pensacola, FL850-479-3004

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Page 4 • December 12, 2012 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • December 12, 2012 • Page 5

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Page 6 • December 12, 2012 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Keeping Old System Online, LargeAmount of Rock Prove Challengingerally everything in between to clearand excavate the land. We utilizedtrackhoes (PC-400’s), D-5 dozers,and sheepsfoot compactors to installthe piping. We also used specializedline stopping equipment to stop flowto the lines as well as trench boxes toperform safe excavations. The topog-raphy of the site did not allow foraccess to all areas so a 100-ton Link-Belt crawler crane was utilized forsetting formwork and roof trusses.Approximately 5,700 cubic yards ofconcrete and 7,000 linear feet of largediameter ductile iron pipe also wereused.” Weather did not play a significant

role, but crews did encounter a largeamount of rock that made excavationmore challenging at times. Pipkinsaid the most time- consuming taskwas the main line tie-ins, because ofthe investigative and exploratory timeneeded to mitigate potential riskexposures. The new additions willnot drastically change the way theplant currently functions, but it willensure that the owner meets orexceeds the latest state and federalregulations as well as providing reli-able pumping operations to serve cus-tomers for several years to come. According to Project Engineer

Brandon Lawhern of Gainesville,Fla.-based The Crom Corporation,“Crom was the designer and con-structor of the prestressed concretetanks and its accessories in theirentirety. This in detail was two 6.0MG Prestressed Concrete Clearwellswith internal circular baffle walls.“We were required to cast two

185-ft. (56 m) diameter slabs 6-in.(15 cm) thick and constructed twosets of five ring baffles using shot-crete, a pneumatically applied con-crete. Then we set a steel diaphragmshell for the exterior tank wall andapplied shotcrete to the inside andexterior surface of this diaphragmshell. We then cast two free-span (notcolumn supported) concrete domes.Once this was completed, we pre-stressed the entire tanks, which caus-es the tank to remain in constant com-pression and supports the concretedomes. A thin layer of shotcrete isapplied to the exterior surface of thetank wall to protect the prestressingwires wrapped around the tanks.

Finally, we painted the exterior of thetanks to get them to final form.” “Concrete work is highly depend-

ent on favorable weather, and theweather through the winter servedmany challenges in an effort to com-plete the work on schedule,”Lawhern added.“More than 6,000 cubic yards of

concrete was used to construct thetanks which is more than 410 con-crete trucks, along with a crane tomove shoring and miscellaneousitems, a prestressing rig to pull theprestressing wire at 3,000 PSI aroundthe tank. There was more than 24miles of wrapping of the tanks withthis wire, along with multiple loaders,large air compressors and specialequipment.” Materials included 231.4 tons (209

t) of reinforcement steel, 68.4 tons(62 t) of prestress wire — not includ-ing bolsters and 1,370 gallons ofpaint. As much as 2,066 cu. yds.(1,579 cu m) of concrete was neededfor the floor, 878 cu. yds. (671 cu m)for the dome and 3,586 cu. yds.(2,741 cu m) for grout.“The job lasted from May 2010

through July 2011. Crom’s primarydirective is to provide a low-mainte-nance, long-term design andapproach to water storage so thatowners are able to keep rates low sothat maintenance issues are not alarge factor in the service they pro-vide to their clients.” Other subcontractors on the project

included Furmanite, which wasresponsible for the linestops, andStone and Sons Electrical. Stone andSons, which specializes in water,wastewater and industrial projects,assisted the owner, engineer, generalcontractor, plant management andvarious vendors in dealing withequipment layouts, process equip-ment integration and project schedul-ing. It also coordinated with thepower company for the double feedto the plant. Work began inSeptember of 2009 and finished inJuly 2012 “Our scope for this project was

large and complicated,” said ProjectManager Danny Baker. “There wasthe typical furnish and install of allelectrical equipment, raceways, andwiring consisting of medium voltage,600 volt and low voltage, but we also

furnished and installed all instrumen-tation including, but not limited to,transmitters, gauges, switches andflow meters and related items. Weprovided new medium voltage sub-stations, wiring and terminations,installed new SCADA equipmentcomplete with the fiber optic back-bone for the communication to theplants existing system and integrationof the two SCADA systems.Additionally, the security fencing andmow strip was included in our scope,as well as furnishing the raceway andpoles for the security and site surveil-lance. “One of the biggest challenges was

to keep the existing power system forthe plant online while the new systemwas installed and tested,” Baker con-tinued. “The systems had to be paral-leled so we could change over allexisting building feeders and processequipment to the new system andhave each maintain the capability ofthe backup power. There was no mar-gin for error in that any issues couldhave resulted in plant interruption andBWWB customers not receivingwater service.” The Birmingham Water Works

Board (BWWB) oversees one of thetop five water systems in the nation,and is the largest water utility in thestate, serving more than 600,000 cus-tomers in Jefferson, Shelby, Blount,St. Clair and Walker Counties. Thefilter plant Phase Two project is beingimplemented to comply withAlabama Department ofEnvironmental Management regula-tions. Considered a major capitalimprovement project that involvesnew piping, electrical upgrades and anew transfer pump station, it willimprove BWWB’s current plantoperations. The upgrade was necessary to

comply with the Safe Drinking WaterAct by providing additional space forwater storage to meet peak waterdemands. It also reportedly increasesreliability of treatment, provides anoptimal level of primary disinfection,improves the safety of the facility andmakes certain that customers receivea continuous supply of high-qualitywater.

(This story also can be found onConstruction Equipment Guide’sWeb site at www.construc-tionequipmentguide.com.) CEG

PLANT from page 1

Photo courtesy of B.L. Harbert International LLCSlab pour for the finish water pump station.

Photo courtesy of B.L. Harbert International LLCReinforcing for the walls for the transfer pump station.

Photo courtesy of B.L. Harbert International LLCInterior of the transfer pump station.

Photo courtesy of B.L. Harbert International LLCInterior of the finish water pump station.

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • December 12, 2012 • Page 7

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