Carolina 22, 2010 by Construction Equipment Guide

THE CAROLINA STATES EDITION

A Supplement to:

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“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” Your Carolina States Connection • Richard McKeon, Charlotte, NC 1-800-288-4234

Work Proceeds on Large Bridge in Cinematic Beaufort By Peter Hildebrandt CEG CORRESPONDENT

With movies like Forrest Gump, The Big Chill, The Great Santini and The Prince of Tides, being filmed there, the Beaufort, S.C., area has become established on the big screen as a place of memorable magnificence, with its graceful bridges and scenic waterways. Area highway construction is working at keeping both the town’s bridges practical, efficient, well-built and unobtrusively picturesque. Building is under way on the twin bridge to the existing McTeer Bridge (SC 802) over the Beaufort River (Intracoastal Waterway) from Ladies Island to Port Royal, S.C. The new structure rises and falls over the water of the tidal river and nearby salt marshes while at the same time providing an inviting means across the water— just in case one’s Boston whaler, sunfish or kickboard don’t happen to be handy. The new bridge is a two-lane, fixed-span, reinforced concrete bridge. Traffic will continue on the older span, built in 1978 and still structurally sound. This older span currently has 20,000 cars per day on average passing over it. In the end, the new two-lane bridge will be all eastbound and the older two-lane bridge will be all westbound. This project will alleviate traffic for residents of Ladies Island, Fripp Island, Port Royal and surrounding communities. Currently the project has some 65 workers. On average the project maintains 55 people involved in the work. Work started on this project in September of 2009 and is projected to be complete by the end of July in 2011. The price of the bridge is $35 million with a total project value of about $52 million for the overall initiative, including the road work being done by Sanders Brothers Construction Company Inc., Charleston, S.C. The bridge is 4,211 ft. (1,283 m) long with a main span of 170 ft. (51.8 m) long and 65 ft. (19.8 m) above high water

Currently there are a total of nine cranes on site in use between Misener Marine and United Contractors.

level. The prime contractor, United Contractors LLC, is responsible for management of all of the superstructure work and pile driving on the bridge, while Misener Marine, the major sub-contractor, is responsible for all substructure work and mass concrete pours for the main spans. Donald Anderson, project manager of United Contractors, explained that the largest challenge on this job has been the high fluctuation in tides and the strong current that runs through this stretch of river. This challenge has been over-

come and has become easier to handle as the crews gain more experience working with it. The general superintendent on the job, Duane Lightsey, started his career working out of high school by finishing up the old bridge that is next to the new bridge he’s now working on. He worked on the first bridge as a skilled laborer for one of United Contractors’ founding companies, Ryan Inc. “The majority of the people that were associated with building the old McTeer bridge are still around in our see BEAUFORT page 6

Page 2 • November 3, 2010 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • North & South Carolina State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Legislators will consider a plan next year that would raise the gasoline tax in South Carolina by a nickel per gallon, begin taxing water, electricity and prescription drugs, and reinstate a grocery tax. A panel studying taxes voted unanimously Sept. 2 to recommend increasing the state gas tax to 21 cents per gallon to generate an additional $150 million yearly for road work. It also voted to add a 1.25 percent tax to water and electricity bills and prescription drugs; and to reinstate a tax on groceries at 2.95 percent. Unprepared food had been taxed at 5 percent before legislators cut it to 3 percent in 2006, and eliminated it in 2007. The 10-member Tax Realignment Commission will finalize the rest of its report over several more meetings and send its recommendations to legislators, who created the panel last year as a way to overhaul South Carolina's tax system. At the time, lawmakers said a comprehensive study was needed to avoid the piecemeal changes they usually pass, which can create unexpected problems. They also hoped to make it easier to eliminate or alter outdated tax exemptions, because attempts to toss any out singly provoke opposition from affected interest groups and kill the effort. The state has more than 120 sales tax exemptions or caps, which the state’s Board of Economic Advisors values at $2.8 billion. Dozens of those would be repealed or modified. But recommendations from the commission, which began meeting last September, are sure to be met with resistance. For its proposal to become law, legislators must sponsor it as a bill, then muster majority

approval in the House and Senate. While it would lower the state’s general sales tax rate from 6 percent to 5 percent, it would apply the tax to services that are currently exempt, such as hair cuts, computer repair, and gyms. The idea of tacking on taxes to necessities has invited criticism. “I can’t imagine it passing,” state Rep. Leon Starvinakis, D-Charleston, told The State newspaper of Columbia. “I consider myself a moderate person but I — and, I would think, most others — are not going to consider tax increases in this kind of economy. And I’m certainly not going to support taxes on basic services.” GOP gubernatorial nominee Nikki Haley has said she favors restoring a tax on groceries. “Look at that grocery sales tax. It didn’t create the first job, not the first job, so that is something that’s not being productive,” she told The AP during the primary race, while laying out the need for comprehensive tax reform. Democratic nominee Vincent Sheheen, who also calls for a tax overhaul, said he opposes taxing groceries. Neither will weigh in on the commission’s other recommendations so far. South Carolina’s current 16-cents-per-gallon gas tax, unchanged since 1987, is the nation’s third-lowest, and raises about $500 million yearly for road construction. But collections have been flat or shrinking, partly because of better fuel efficiency, and South Carolina ranks 49th in state support for road work, according to the commission. “I don’t think anyone would disagree the roads are in pretty bad shape,” said commission member Kenneth Cosgrove.

Sen. Graham: Next Step for I-73 in S.C. Is Interchange MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said the next step for Interstate 73 in South Carolina is an interchange in Dillon County. Multiple media outlets reported that Graham spoke Aug. 27 on the long-planned interstate to the heart of the state's tourism industry across six states from Michigan to Myrtle Beach. Its 90-mi. trek through four South Carolina counties is expected to cost $2 billion.

The $150 million interchange would connect U.S. Highway 501 to Interstate 95. Graham said about half the funding is available, so the state needs to appropriate the remaining $75 million. A study released in January 2009 said the South Carolina leg of I-73 could create thousands of jobs and generate more than $1 billion in household income during the fiveyear construction.

Construction Equipment Guide • North & South Carolina State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • November 3, 2010 • Page 3

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Construction Equipment Guide • North & South Carolina State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • November 3, 2010 • Page 5

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Crews Surmount Tide Fluctuations, Strong River Currents BEAUFORT from page 1

company,” said Anderson. Lightsey’s father was a superintendent back when they built the old bridge and now works while retired as a crane operator for the company. “He has a vast amount of experience,” said Anderson. “This isn’t the only father/son team we have. The company has a number of other such situations, leading to a tremendous amount of cumulative experience. You’re not only getting the expertise of one generation of a builder who has 25 or 30 years in, but you are getting a new generation with plenty of skills necessary for the work as well.” Though things are moving along smoothly, there was a bit of a problem getting off on the right step at the start. One of their subcontractors on the job had some problems getting equipment moved from one location to another. This was purely a logistics issue, though. The only issues that arose with wildlife or the environment, was a concern about bald eagles nesting down the Beaufort River. The project has had no impact on the nest site or the bald eagles. Anderson is a strong proponent of staying ahead of your project. “A manager must be always looking out for things on their project. If you’re not a month ahead, you’re too late; our engineering degrees are helpful, but practical experience is important as well; we use both that and the book-smarts to anticipate problems coming up,” Anderson explained. Anderson has worked for mega contractor construction firms as well, but sees great benefits in United Contractors’ use of some of the longest retained workforce in the industry. They have carpenters who have worked for the company for 25 years. An experienced individual who works for the firm is called “Bridge Builder.” They can be relied on to do all aspects of bridge construction from building forms to driving a pile. Work started on this project in September of 2009 and is projected to be complete by “If you hire someone off the street, as the end of July in 2011. mega-contractor construction companies often do, frequently you have no time to train them properly,” said Anderson. easy to go out to dinner and then think ‘I had the existing bridge is closed to use as a con“Our company views experience as counting dinner and by the way, I also paid something struction staging area for concrete pours. This work is completed at night during times for something. The mega-contractors hire toward building a bridge in the area’.” The County will hand over the mainte- of low traffic volumes to minimize the workers when they arrive at a job site and when the job is over they are done with those nance on the bridge to South Carolina impact. As always, the negative effect to workers. We take all of ours with us on jobs Department of Transportation. It is actually local environmental issues is minimized as cheaper for the county to use this method of much as possible. and put them up in hotels. Currently there are a total of nine cranes The Beaufort River Bridge was a hard-bid setting things up. County residents have the build, mainly because it was the first bridge benefit of the bridge and the state the benefit on site in use between Misener Marine and in Beaufort County supported by a sales tax, of the added infrastructure, with their only United Contractors. There are two American 9299, two Manitowoc 4100 Series II, one as the county is actually paying for it. With costs that of maintaining it. The job only has a negative impact on the Link-Belt LS-138H, one Link-Belt 238H, this being a local issue involving only a one percent sales tax, protest was minimal. It’s surrounding community when one lane of one American HC80 and one Tadano 45 ton

Building is underway on the twin bridge to the existing McTeer Bridge (SC 802) over the Beaufort River (Intracoastal Waterway) from Ladies Island to Port Royal, S.C.

rough-terrain crane. Most of the cranes are currently being used for lifting and moving materials, rebar and concrete forms into place on the job site. The cranes also are being used for driving and removing sheet pile for cofferdams, driving pre-stressed concrete pile, driving drill shaft casings, and setting pre-stressed girders, and footer rebar and forms. There also is one drill rig, a Manitowoc 4100 Series II on site which is being used to drill the shaft foundations for the bridge. The biggest crane on site is a Manitowoc 4100 Series II, 230-ton crawler crane. Misener Marine currently has two of these cranes on site and they are used to pick and set the reinforced concrete beams. The smallest crane is an all-terrain crane which is used for everything from moving shugart barges alongside the bridge, to miscellaneous materials. This crane is a Tadano 4wheel drive crane and has a 50-ton capacity. Anderson and Lightsey split their time between Beaufort and another project in Savannah. “I look at the way we’ve effectively divided our forces as being almost like a militarytype problem: moving equipment, manpower and technical support as needed. Safety has been a number one priority on this job as with all other work done by United Contractors LLC,” Anderson stated. Beaufort County remains ready for its next “close-up.” The ribbon-cutting should take place in July, 2011. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.) CEG

Construction Equipment Guide • North & South Carolina State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • November 3, 2010 • Page 7

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Page 8 • November 3, 2010 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • North & South Carolina State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

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