During the pandemic, many people developed new skills to challenge themselves and accomplish new goals. This trend was also true of DCS Contracting, Inc. The company was awarded a $3.8 million Rancho Mercado 147th Avenue South project in the northwest Valley that began in October 2020 and is expected to be complete in 12 months.
As part of the construction, DCS added a new talent to its resume. “This is the first project DCS has completed that includes a cast-in-place span bridge with drill caissons and pre-cast concrete girders,” Wes Standifird, project engineer, says.
Standifird explains that the project's scope includes a half street development of 147th Avenue from Happy Valley Road to McMicken Way. “Once complete, this roadway will allow access to the Rancho Mercado Master Community from north to south, a route that currently does not exist,” he says. “This will allow residents more options when traveling through the rapidly growing northwest Valley.”
Major components of this project include an American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) bridge spanning the Maricopa Water District’s Beardsley Canal, installation of a triple barrel box culvert, and more than 530-feet of a 42-inch and 36-inch jack and bore. It also includes over 20,250 cubic yards of mass grading, 3,066 linear feet of 21-inch sewer line, 3,081 linear feet of 16-inch waterline, and the removal and replacement of canal lining inside the MWD Beardsley Canal.
Standifird states that the most challenging aspect of the project was contending with the existing overhead APS power lines. “These lines ran directly under the proposed bridge spanning the Beardsley Canal,” he says. “This meant coordinating with APS for several power outages to enable the installation of the bridge drill shafts as well as the pre-cast concrete girders.”
The most unusual aspect of the project was the depth of the 21-inch sewer line. “The line's average depth is 21.35-feet, so establishing a safe excavation and shoring plan for this scope was critical,” Standifird says.
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This article originally appeared in the bimonthly Arizona Contractor & Community magazine, Jul/Aug 2021 issue, Vol. 10, No. 4.
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