Jay Dee Contractors by North American Constructors Journal

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Jay Dee Contractors:

They Can Really Dig It Jay Dee Contractors has carved out a rock-solid reputation as a go-to heavy underground construction specialist, spending the last 55 years building projects that improve sustainability of lakes and waterways. Written by Kevin Doyle Produced by Stephen Marino

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t seems no tunneling project is too large or too complex for Jay Dee Contractors of Livonia, MI to tackle. Look no further than its current involvement with the massive 10.5-kilometer Coxwell Bypass Tunnel Project in Toronto, ON. Incorporated by founder John DiPonio in 1965, the company has forged a rock-solid reputation over the past 55 years as a go-to heavy underground construction specialist with the wherewithal to deliver efficient, innovative solutions on projects of all sizes and scope. “I truly believe the Jay Dee approach to understand and recognize the specific challenges of each project and working to resolve these challenges; and the owners being on the front line directly involved with the work, brings a lot to the table. A lot of hard work goes into these projects on a daily basis and it’s a lead by example approach more than expectations. That sets a high level where everyone tries to excel every day at what they do,” explains A.G. Mekkaoui, Jay Dee’s Vice President of Operations. The company’s second-generation owners are brothers Thomas, John and Michael DiPonio. It employs on average 250 individuals, a total that fluctuates depending on the number and size of projects in progress, and averages $100 million in average project volume.

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“I would say Jay Dee’s success is mostly due to maintaining a family style culture. We take a lot of pride in a collaborative and open-door philosophy for managingthe company and, ultimately, I think that’s the major part of our global success,”Mekkaoui emphasizes.

The Coxwell Project This 10.5-kilometer bypass tunnel is the first piece of Toronto’s Don River and Central Waterfront Wet Weather Flow Master Plan, the most ambitious storm water management program in the city’s history. Jay Dee has been on site for two years and the $397.3 million

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“The best thing that can be done is to identify as early as possible the challenges . . . and to work as a team to manage and resolve those issues. We need all sides to understand the issue and why a certain approach is being followed.” A.G. Mekkaoui, Vice President of Operations

project – in the middle of one of the busiestparts of the city – is due for completion in 2023.

challenges just like any other project but we’re dealing with them and things aremoving forward,” Mekkaoui says.

“It was a new market for Jay Dee, so it has taken the bulk of my time being in Toronto for the last two years and getting the project moving forward. We have

The company maintains a remote Project Management facility to oversee fiveactive work shafts with a finished diameter of 20-22 meters and 11 connections (Drop shaft/vent shaft/

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Jay Dee Contractors | 6 deareation chamber/adit connection) for future connections of existing interceptors to the main tunnel. The tunnel is being excavated in shale and lined with precast concrete segments.

assembled from China to the Port of Toronto, transported on a weekend from the port to the job site, and moved down shaft to its launch location through a 116m starter tunnel.

“Each piece of the work requires substantial equipment, much of it specialized and with some of these components coming from outside the country. I find all of that to be exciting and challenging and it really consumes quite a bit of my attention on a daily basis,” Mekkaoui says.

“Trade issues between the different countries impacted the manufacturing timeline and then it took two months to ship the TBM from port to port. The set-up took about three months but we are finally mining at this point,” Mekkaoui says.

That equipment includes a massive Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) nicknamed Donnie that was purchased and engineered in Toronto, fabricated and shipped fully

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Among the company’s other notable projects are the Thornton Transitional Reservoir in Thornton, IL; the Little Calumet Leg of the Calumet Tunnel System in South Holland, IL; the Big Water Augmentation/Rickenbacker

Jay Dee Contractors | 7 Interceptor in Columbus, OH; Brightwater Tunnel Sections 3 and 4, the University Link and Northgate Link Light Rail Contract U230 in Seattle, WA; the Westerly Storage Tunnel in Cleveland, OH; and the I-75 Modernization project in Detroit, MI.

The Day To Day With the exception of his first year out of college, Mekkaoui has been with the company for nearly his entire career, working his way up the ladder to his current role., and is eminently qualified to speak to the company’s strengths. “I believe I understand the different roles required for a team to be effective and successful in managing

a project. A typical day really changes from project toproject depending on the size and what is needed to develop the team on the project,” he says. From project concept to completion, Mekkaoui stresses that advance preparation, planning and cohesive teamwork with the owner/client is crucial to the success of every project. “You have to have enough time up front to study the documents and understand what the owner requires and, as the contractor, identify the high-risk components of the project and how to address them. We try to ask the questions and communicate the concerns so we can allocate enough resources during the

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“I would say Jay Dee’s success is mostly due to maintaining a family style culture. We take a lot of pride in a collaborative and open-door philosophy for managing the company.” - A.G. Mekkaoui, Vice President of Operations www.jaydee.us

Jay Dee Contractors | 9 estimating or the bid phase to develop a designated construction team and reasonable estimates and schedule for the work,” he says. Once on site, Jay Dee strives to maintain an open line of communication in a collaborative process designed to avoid an adverse relationship. “There are always difficulties and challenges in the construction phase so thebest thing that can be done is to identify as early as possible the challenges as they come up and to work as a team to manage those challenges and resolve those issues. We need all sides to understand the issue and why a certain approach is

being followed,” Mekkaoui offers. With components and equipment on any given job coming from Germany, Japan, China, Finland, South Korea, strict adherence to the project schedule and budget is a must. The company does its homework in regards to vendors and subcontractors, especially when entering a new market such as it did in Toronto. “We identify vendors bidding on the work, or providing pricing, to see if we have experience on similar projects. Many of them we have prior experience with from other tunnel projects since with all the major components, typically the contractor and vendor have substantial previous experience,

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Jay Dee Contractors | 11 which is very helpful in selecting those vendors and subcontractors,” Mekkaoui says. In regards to safety, the company is endeavoring to make it part of its culture rather than another element that workers must stop and think about. Daily toolbox talks keep everyone informed of specific site hazards crews should recognize and avoid.

Some Challenges The company has not been immune to the workforce development issues that plague the construction industry across all sectors. Being a union contractor helps. “Most of our workforce, at least in the field, is union so we work closely with the unions to train and develop skilled workers for our specialized work and the unions have been doing a pretty good job in providing that training,” Mekkaoui points out. “We’re partnering with the unions to increase the number of apprentices and develop skilled workers.” Additionally, the company has also developed a structured internship program and partnered with different universities to identify resources for its Engineering and Management teams. Ongoing trade wars have resulted in international market fluctuations, coupled with the global COVID-19

pandemic, have created a new set of challenges. “We are dealing with challenges that are unprecedented, at least in my lifetime, and so far the government, to a large extent, has left the construction contractors without acknowledging the financial impact to these projects and to these companies. The closest they’ve come is a time extension, potentially acknowledging these challenges. However they have not acknowledged any of the costs, at least as of yet,” Mekkaoui asserts.