THE CORRIDOR Q U.S. ROUTE 460 CONNECTOR
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:
Paving the way to a
MORE CONNECT BUCHANAN COU
Bizzack Construction VP Stewart Gaither discusses C coal synergy that is powering this new development Written by: Sasha Orman Produced by: Tom Venturo
TED UNTY
Corridor Q and the
3
BIZZACK CONSTRUCTION
Bizzack Construction’s clearing operations on a ridge looking into Kentucky
F
ew pieces of infrastructure are more important to the health and vitality of a region than its roadways. Connecting rural areas, remote destinations and urban centers, direct and well-maintained roads promote commerce and literally bridge gaps between communities. 4
In Virginia, the Corridor Q/U.S. Route 460 Connector Phase II project is bridging a 6.2 mile gap in Buchanan County—creating a new stretch of four-lane limited access highway between Phase I of the project near the Kentucky Border and the start of the future U.S. Route 121 (Coalfields Expressway).
CONSTRUCTION
It is a difficult, mountainous stretch of land to navigate, requiring just the right contractor with the right skill sets to do the job well. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) partnered with general contractor Bizzack Construction on a design-build contract to take this stretch of road to rough-grade and
make the vision of Route 460’s new Appalachian pathway a reality. BUILDING NEW CONNECTIONS The Corridor Q project brings some significant benefits to Buchanan County. “It’s part of an overall project to bring better access to 5
CONSTRUCTION
the community,” says Stewart Gaither, Vice President of Bizzack Construction. As U.S. Route 460 is completed, it will create a stronger connection between Buchanan and the rest of Virginia, but also far beyond. “US-460 runs through several states, so this will help connect this area with better roads to provide economic development and job opportunities while we’re doing the work,” says Gaither. “Then afterward it will provide the ability for these people to travel to other places for jobs, or to bring jobs to the community.”
SUPPLIER PROFILE
OPPORTUNITIES TH ROUG H COA L SY N E R GY Coal synergy plays a significant role in making this project viable and affordable for the state of Virginia. Coal synergy reduces road building costs substantially by using coal companies’ largerscale earth moving equipment to prepare the road bed to rough grade, allowing the companies to recover marketable coal reserves during road bed preparation, states VDOT. While Bizzack is not in Buchanan to mine for coal, it does make use of the valuable coal that it
DYNO NOBEL
Dyno Nobel is the only blasting company with a full product line manufactured in North America. We deliver a full range of innovative blasting products—from electronic initiation systems to Differential Energy™ while still providing high quality classic products such as NONEL® and DYNOMAX™ PRO. You can count on our highly trained blasters who use the most advanced shot loading techniques and safe blasting processes and procedures. Our business excellence practices and methods measure and reduce ground vibration, air blast and flyrock. Partnering with customers and providing them with the products and services they need is a top company priority. Renowned for excellent customer service and safety performance, Dyno Nobel continuously delivers groundbreaking performance through practical innovation. Website: www.dynonobel.com
7
BIZZACK CONSTRUCTION
does encounter throughout its road building endeavor. “A lot of people think we are out there mining coal, and we are not— that’s not what we do, we build roads for a living,” notes Gaither. “But we optimized the design so that if we encounter coal within the footprint of the project, then by mandate we are required to harvest those natural resources . We use that revenue to offset the cost of the project so we can give VDOT and the citizens of Virginia a better value.” The concept of coal synergy
8
is also one way that the Corridor Q project is bringing both infrastructure and jobs to the region immediately. “The project wouldn’t be done if it wasn’t for coal synergy—that’s what’s helping fund the project,” says Gaither. “If it wasn’t for coal synergy, we wouldn’t be doing the work and the people we’re employing down there to do the work wouldn’t have that job.” W O R K I N G C L O S E LY FOR HIGHER SAFET Y S TA N D A R D S To achieve the goals of this project, Bizzack Construction has been working very closely with the Virginia Department of Transportation from the start, with submittals to VDOT at every step of the design stage for review and approval before moving forward. During the build stage, VDOT and Bizzack rely on a multi-layered approach to quality control to ensure that the construction process stays up to standard. “We have three layers of quality control on the project—quality control, quality assurance, and
CONSTRUCTION
“The project wouldn’t be done if it wasn’t for coal synergy—that’s what’s helping fund the project” – Stewart Gaither, Vice President of Bizzack Construction
w w w. h u n t a u s t i n j v. c o m
Bizzack Construction equipment at the top of a side-hill cut
9
BIZZACK CONSTRUCTION
Practical People, Practical Solutions
Cut Section #8
Embankment #12
3BCS is privileged to partner with Bizzack on the Route 460 Phase II project. We wish Bizzack continued success and look forward to working together on future ventures!
Borrow Area #2A
T: 276-880-0121 E: cbreeding@3bcs.com
www.3bcs.com
independent assurance which is directly hired by VDOT,” says Gaither. “We have a quality control plan put in place for both design and construction, which specifically spells out the different requirements for QC, QA and IA.” Safety is also of the utmost concern throughout the building process, encouraged by weekly safety training meetings for employees along with preparatory meetings to address specific issues 10
Bizzack workers install a rock cor
for each phase of the project. Bizzack also requires each of its subcontractors and consultants on the project participate in preparatory meetings and follow prescribed regulations for the safety of all involved. THE RIGHT BUSINESS F O R A N I M P O R TA N T REGIONAL JOB What makes Bizzack Construction the right fit for the job is a
CONSTRUCTION
Company Information NAME
Bizzack Construction LLC INDUSTRY
Civil Construction HEADQUARTERS
Kentucky, USA FOUNDED
1958
re drain in bottom of an embankment
combination of its regional experience and the agility of its structure. “We’re big enough that we can handle large projects like this, but we are not a large bureaucratic company—we’re a small family owned company,” says Gaither. “We’re very close to the people in the areas where we work, and we hire people from those areas that we work in. We have employees and management from West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia.” With this, Bizzack Construction is paving the way for a more connected future in the region. 11
Bizzack Construction LLC 3009 Atkinson Avenue # 200 Lexington, Kentucky - USA - 40509 Tel. (859) 299-8001 | Fax. (859) 299-0480