A family-owned business in its third generation, Barfield Enterprises has built its reputation by being prepared for anything.
The company provides full-site work and utility construction to coastal Georgia and the low country, where ground conditions can be unpredictable. Dewatering is necessary when excavating for deep sewer work and Barfield Enterprises has established itself as an expert in this, as well as in overall site development.
“Doing everything the right way, the first time, really makes a huge difference for the success or failure of these jobs. You only have one shot when you go down that deep,” said Jack Barfield, senior project manager at Barfield Enterprises. “Having the expertise behind you to help you
prepare for those situations is vital.”
That expertise has been built over the years by Barfield’s father, grandfather and uncles, who he said have “seen every situation that south Georgia can throw at you” — and it’s one of the reason the company continues to win contracts.
Barfield Enterprises specializes in single and multifamily residential development. In addition to wet utilities, the company takes care of every aspect of these large projects. That includes stripping and clearing the land after it’s been logged and completing mass grade work, which involves digging lagoons and mucking and filling the roads. It also installs the telecom and power conduit systems. It finishes each yearslong project by dressing the ground for grass before moving on to the next project.
“As far as what separates us, we really feel like it’s our
attention to detail and we always have our client’s best interest at heart,” Barfield explained. “Throughout the project, if there are any changes or a way we can save them money, we relay that from the field and work with the engineers to make it happen.”
Making It Work
Taking on large housing development projects requires organization, significant manpower and a lot of hard work.
Barfield Enterprises runs two mass grade crews at any given time, normally split between different jobs, along with four pipe crews at all times and a fine grade crew that finishes projects by getting the roads cut in or clipped to grade for asphalt. They work long hours to keep projects moving.
By Monica Debrot
Barfield Relies On Hitachi Machines, Hills Machinery
“Our crew is here from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. most of the time. A lot of times they’ll run over, especially if we’re getting ready for rain day events coming up. And then in the summer, a lot of times they push until 7:30 p.m. five days a week,” Barfield said. “We take care of our employees. We’ve got a good group of guys that have been with us for a long time. Without them, we can’t get any of this done.”
That crew operates the company’s equipment fleet, which consists of multiple excavators, six or eight bulldozers at any given time, plus multiple loaders, street sweepers and rollers. Articulated haulers also are a staple that help traverse rocky terrain and allow the crew to move large amounts of dirt regardless of ground conditions.
The equipment Barfield Enterprise relies on the most are Hitachi 490 (ZX490LC-6) and 350 (ZX-350LC-6) excavators, which are serviced and supported by Hills Machinery out of Savannah, Ga.
According to Barfield, the company has been running Hitachi excavators on and off for 30-plus years and he considers them dependable, fast and strong.
“You’re always going to have breakdowns. But the thing that really keeps us moving the most is having good support,” he explained. “Somebody we can call and depend on when something does go down and that’s Hills Machinery. Our rep, Donnie Crosby, always goes out of his way for us so that we can keep the job moving.”
Barfield added that the support extends beyond repairs. It includes Crosby bringing backup pieces of equipment if an excavator or other machine will be out of service for a while.
“Donnie is the best. If we need a special piece of equipment, he’ll get it on site when we need it,” Barfield said. “And that’s just a simple fact. You can always call him, and he has an answer or a solution for whatever we’re going through.”
Tackling Multi-Phase Projects
The company has recently put the Hitachi excavators to work on a large multi-phase project in South Bryan County, outside of Richmond Hill, Ga. It’s a 750-home site project with seven to eight phases and, when completed, it will be 55-plus retirement community.
Among many other jobs, the development required digging down approximately 35 ft. to set a large pump station. To do that, Barfield and his crew needed to bench a large area to get the excavators down into the ground. After completing the installation and putting the dirt back, they built
the versatility of the three
berms and the surroundings around the pump station to hide it. The project also needed crews to excavate retention ponds and install storm drain and sewer systems.
“We used the Hitachi 490 excavator for digging the very deep sewers. It is a good tractor for any situation, but especially the very deep stuff. You’ve got so much reach with it,” said Barfield. “And it’s versatile. We’re going to put a much larger bucket on it, probably a 72-inch bucket, and put it in the mass grade operation until we have other deep pipe to lay.”
The Hitachi 490 excavator has a maximum dig reach of 41 ft. and a maximum dig depth of 27 ft. and offers 362 hp net power at 2,000 rpm. Hitachi designed the excavator with sustainability and performance in mind. It has passed rigorous emissions testing and has a two-pump system to improve control. The boom and arm have a direct oil flow to each actuator, making them more responsive and efficient, according to the company.
Barfield also appreciates the versatility of the three Hitachi 350 excavators the company has. They proved key for backfilling topsoil on the site and supporting the mass earthwork happening, including retention pond excavating.
“We can use the 350 for pipe laying for just your everyday normal 12-14-foot sewer cut. But it’s also a very versatile tractor that you can backfill with, or you can lay up to a 60inch storm drain with no problem. You can lay a water main with it or sewer — pretty much anything you want to,” he explained.
see HITACHI page 6
Taking on large housing development projects requires organization, significant manpower and a lot of hard work. Barfield Enterprises runs two mass grade crews at any given time, normally split between different jobs, along with four pipe crews at all times and a fine grade crew.
The equipment Barfield Enterprise relies on the most are Hitachi 490 (ZX490LC-6) and 350 (ZX-350LC-6) excavators, which are serviced and supported by Hills Machinery out of Savannah, Ga.
Enterprises specializes in single and multifamily residential development. In addition to wet utilities, the company takes care of every aspect of these large projects.
but especially the very deep stuff. You’ve got so much reach with it,” said Jack Barfield, senior project manager at Barfield Enterprises.
The Hitachi 490 excavator has a maximum dig reach of 41 ft. and a maximum dig depth of 27 ft. and offers 362 hp net power at 2,000 rpm.
“We used the Hitachi 490 excavator for digging the very deep sewers. It is a good tractor for any situation,
Jack Barfield appreciates
Hitachi 350 excavators the company has. They proved key for backfilling topsoil on the site and supporting the mass earthwork happening, including retention pond excavating.
Barfield
HITACHI from page 1
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GDOT Opens New Bridge, Funds Augusta Interchange
Vehicular traffic along Georgia Highway 25 was recently shifted onto the new Houlihan Bridge over the Savannah River in Port Wentworth. The state road connects people looking to travel between the Peach State and South Carolina, just northwest of the Savannah city limits.
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and its construction partners diverted traffic approximately 0.5 mi. at the approaches to the river in both directions, reported AllOnGeorgia, an online news site based in the southeastern part of the state.
With the bridge now open to vehicular traffic, GDOT said motorists may experience ongoing periodic lane closures while crews complete the final work to the span.
The traffic shift allows work to get under way on demolishing the old structure.
GDOT noted that folks wishing to visit the Houlihan Park Boat Ramp will still be able to access the facility via the new entrance and exit located approximately 0.1 mi to the west.
Similarly, the entrance/exit to the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge at Onslow Island will move farther east for access between the island and bridge. Like the old configuration, there will not be a dedicated turn lane to reach the boat ramp or the island.
AllOnGeorgia said that construction on the new Houlihan Bridge began in the summer of 2022 with crews building the span’s
substructure in the waterway. In just over 18 months, according to GDOT, the new structure will open for the traveling public.
It replaces the 70-year-old James P. Houlihan Bridge — one of the oldest in Georgia, and the last working swing span bridge in the state — with a taller structure that provides more waterway clearance. Additionally, the new bridge will have wider shoulders designed for modern passenger and commercial vehicles.
“This is a major milestone for a complex project supporting significant commercial vehicle traffic and many distribution centers in the area,” said GDOT Project Manager Trevor Brown. “Local stakeholders and the community have been patiently working with us during the construction of the new bridge, and we’re excited to get motorists onto the new structure.”
In addition, the new Houlihan Bridge was bundled with the replacement of the neighboring Ga. 25 bridge over the Middle River.
GDOT is building both new bridges on off-set alignments approximately 50 ft. to the north of and parallel to the existing bridge alignments.
Currently, GDOT’s construction partners are working on the Middle River span’s substructure and will set girders for the new bridge over the coming months, according to AllOnGeorgia.
The overall project completion is scheduled for the end of 2025.
New Interchange Near Augusta to Benefit From Funding Surplus
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp recently announced that he and the state Legislature plan to allocate $1.5 million in surplus state funds to go toward construction of a new interchange on Interstate 20 at U.S. Highway 221/Louisville Road in rural Columbia County, west of Augusta.
The project comes in the wake of a 310 percent rise in the area’s population since 1990, according to the GDOT. The new interchange should prevent the nearby existing interchanges from failing, which is predicted to occur over the next 10 to 20 years.
The interchange scouting project is estimated to cost $4 million, the Augusta Chronicle reported July 23, and is proposed to be funded in Fiscal Year 2026.
GDOT representatives told the newspaper that it is too soon to predict the project’s impact on area traffic, nor could the agency give details on its construction plans. In addition, the transportation department did not confirm the new interchange’s total estimated cost.
In a social media post, Columbia County Commissioner Alison Couch wrote that the highway project is currently in the concept phase, which includes studying topography, utility placement, potential property acquisitions, environmental concerns, and costs — all of which are being carried out by GDOT.
Couch added, however, that the project is
estimated to cost $170 million and only $4 million was funded, leaving state officials to secure the remaining $166 million. She confirmed that the new interchange’s timeline puts it at 15 years into the future.
In 2006, the Chronicle reported the Louisville Road interchange was part of the Augusta Regional Transportation Study’s 25-year plan, a wish list of GDOT projects.
The local funding will come from a onetime $1.5 billion investment of surplus funds in transportation infrastructure across Georgia, announced by Gov. Brian Kemp on July 18. The new monies will double the state’s funding to cities and counties for local transportation projects as well as raise spending for GDOT’s capital construction program by 58 percent, according to reporting from Capitol Beat in Atlanta.
“Over the last few years, we’ve welcomed unprecedented job creation to all regions of the Peach State, and this funding will ensure our already reliable infrastructure network can meet the needs of that incredible growth,” Kemp noted in a news release. “In the months and years ahead, hardworking Georgians will see further improvements to the roads and bridges they drive each day.”
Other projects earmarked for a chunk of that funding include the widening of I-16 in Chatham and Effingham counties, expanding the toll lanes along I-75 south of Atlanta, and resurfacing state highways across Georgia, Capitol Beat noted.
Hitachi Excavators Prep Land for New Housing Development
Like the 490, the 350 excavator provides Barfield and his crew with reliable reach.
Its maximum dig reach is 38 ft. 10 in. and its maximum dig depth is 26 ft. 9 in., and it offers 270.9 hp net power. The excavator provides the power and productivity needed for large jobs like Barfield Enterprises’ recent multiphase housing development. When taking on heavy-duty work or when a job needs extra speed, its HP mode increases engine speed and hydraulicpump output torque. Its three-pump hydraulic system lowers fuel consumption, which helps the company’s bottom line.
Looking Forward
Projects are plentiful in the areas that Barfield Enterprises serves. The ports factor into the construction industry, bringing more people to the areas, as does local commerce and an influx of
people moving from California and the northeast in recent years. That means there will be a continued need for single and multi-family developments — and plenty of work for Barfield Enterprises.
“We’re going to strive to continue to do what we do best. And that’s these larger 100 to 200 home site tracks at a time. So, we’re going to continue focusing on those,” Barfield said. Their relationship with Hills Machinery and their Hitachi excavators is certain to help them along the way.
“We have solid, dependable equipment that we know is going to do its job every day. Add that to the support we get from Hills Machinery, and we know we can finish our projects on time, on budget and have something that we can all be proud of at the end of the day.”
