Manusos General Contracting, based in Fox Lake, Illinois, recently completed casting-in-place a new stormwater pump station for the Village of Elmwood Park, Illinois. It was NOT a small pump station.
The structure was 37 feet wide, 50 feet long, and 30 feet tall. Adding to the excavation project’s already challenging parameters was the fact that the behemoth pump station needed to be installed adjacent to a very exclusive country club, with the golf course’s seventh fairway about 30 feet away from the excavation site.
This was the first time Manusos had ever attempted installing any underground utility of this magnitude. Some may have been concerned that Manusos “had bitten off more than they could chew,” as the saying goes. Instead of being intimidated by the new challenges, Manusos dug right in (no pun intended) and sought the help they needed to get started.
STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS
Step one was to determine which shoring system to use on the project; not a simple task considering the size. Really only two shoring systems can safely shore a pit so large, driven tight-sheeting or a Slide Rail System. Don Manusos, consultant for his namesake company, ultimately chose bidding the project with a Slide Rail System for one simple reason: “Compared to sheeting, it was cheaper,” Manusos says, “Maybe $165,000 cheaper. Looking at pictures and video of the (Slide Rail) system, it seemed like it goes in a lot cleaner and easier and takes up less room,” Manusos adds.
With the shoring system decided, Manusos needed to find the right Slide Rail System that included factory support and installation assistance. To that end, Manusos contacted manufacturer Efficiency Production’s Special Operations Shoring Division, who could provide both.
Efficiency Production’s Slide Rail is a component shoring system comprised of steel panels (similar to trench shield sidewalls) and vertical steel posts. The highly versatile system can be used in a variety of configurations. In addition to the obstruction-free ClearSpan™ configuration, Efficiency’s Universal Slide Rail can be configured into small four-sided pits, or in a Multi-Bay™ configuration to install large tanks and structures, or in lengths of pipe over 40 feet.
Top: “The Manusos crew was a hardworking group of guys, completely green to something like that, but they caught on very quick despite the fact it was all new,” says Mark Mitchell (center with sunglasses), Efficiency Shoring & Supply Chicago branch manager.
Above: The behemouth cast-in-place storm-water pump station was 37 feet wide, 50 feet long, and 30 feet tall, and installed only 30 feet away from a local country club’s golf course.
THE LEARNING CURVE
Manusos rented from Efficiency Shoring & Supply—Efficiency Production’s factory-direct Chicago rental branch—equipment to install a 42 x 53 x 32 foot ClearSpan™ Slide Rail System. Efficiency Shoring & Supply’s Chicago branch manager, Mark Mitchell, was on-site to help Manusos with the critical initial steps of installing the Slide Rail System.
“The Manusos crew was a hardworking group of guys, completely green to something like that,” Mitchell says. “But they caught on very quick despite the fact it was all new.”
Slide Rail is installed simultaneously as the trench or pit is excavated by sliding the panels into integrated rails on the posts—an outside slotted rail first, then an open-face rail on the inside—then pushing the panels and posts incrementally down to grade as the pit is dug; a process commonly referred to as a “dig and push” system.
“We’ve always said that in theory, ClearSpan™ can have unlimited size, and this excavation proves that a 50-foot-wide pit is not just theory,” says Efficiency Production vice president of engineering, Mike West. “Other manufacturer’s clear span configurations need to be installed with cumbersome cross-members. Only Efficiency’s ClearSpan™ system is never encumbered by cross-members at any time,” West adds.
In addition to Mitchell, Efficiency Production sent senior Slide Rail installer Tim Hurst to assist with the installation. About the Efficiency team, Manusos project superintendent Kevin Aronson says “They were not afraid to get dirty, not afraid to get on the ugly side of stuff.”
“They were very helpful, especially in the initial stages training my guys,” Aronson continues. “(The Efficiency) guys busted their asses, and trust me I would not hesitate to let them know if I was displeased,” he adds.
Manusos installed the entire system with a Komatsu PC 400 and PC 490 excavators, plus support equipment. All told, the lift station was entirely installed in a couple of weeks between June and July, 2013. ■
About The Author:
James McRay is the director of marketing and media for Efficiency Production, Inc. He can be reached at 800.552.8800; jmcray@efficiencyproduction.com. For more information, call Efficiency Shoring & Supply at 800.220.8707 or visit www.efficiencyshoring.com.
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Modern Contractor Solutions, September 2013
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Digging Right In
