First Time Slide Rail User Finds New System Fast and Friendly

by Mike Fernandez

Maryland - 3/2002 - Experienced utility contractor, Lee Foundation Co., Inc., of White Marsh, Maryland has ventured into a technologically advanced method for shielding their excavations that saved four weeks of production time on their Columbia Town Center project! After 48 years of installing utilities using sheet piling and wood lagging, Bill Lipinski, CEO of Lee Foundation Co., saw an opportunity to significantly increase pipe production, reduce excavation costs, and provide superior trench safety with a new Slide Rail System.

An Efficiency Production, Inc. Universal Slide Rail System with a newly developed Multiple Bay design featuring a unique "Parallel Beam" that uses standard spreaders, or arches, rather than I-beams, made the installation fast and easy. The innovative Parallel Beam design eliminates post deflection during installation and removal and facilitates the vertical movement of spreaders or arches. "We excavated and shored the hole in three days with four men and two pieces of equipment," exclaimed Lipinski.

The new shielding system was used for a 20’ wide x 50’ long x 20’ deep trench for a storm water filtering system. The water system included a cast-in-place concrete structure 18’ deep x 46’ long x 14’ wide, with short connections of 15 inch and 30 inch High Density Polyethylene pipe. The Lee Foundation crew, lead by Superintendent Bob Linder and Foreman Bill Kyger, encountered an 18-foot water table but had good soil conditions otherwise. The excavation was bordered on two sides by 4-story condominium buildings that were under construction, and existing water and sewer lines within 10 feet on another side eliminating the option for a sloped trench. Once a Volkswagen sized rock was removed from the trench "all systems were go" for the LFC crew to rapidly approached grade.

To install the shielding system and place the utilities, LFC used a 70,000 lb. Liebherr 942 LC excavator and a Link-Belt HSP-25 Hydraulic crane.

The Universal Slide Rail System consisted of three 16’ long bays measuring 20’ wide spanned with 18’ standard spreaders on two sets of parallel beams. Twenty-foot wide end panels were stacked into the corner posts to a depth of 20 feet to completely shield the trench on all four sides.

The system helped to complete the job one month early saving the company a considerable amount of money. LFC was also able to realize savings since the vertical trench resulted in less excavated material, less imported backfill, and less restoration costs. "This system saved us plenty!" stated Lipinski, "We saved three weeks in shoring and excavation, then it took us only one day to remove the Slide Rail saving an additional two days [otherwise] spent removing steel sheeting."

Lee Foundation considered their shoring options and referred to Danse Equipment of Beltsville, Maryland for a solution. Jeff Morgan of Danse Equipment contacted the design engineers at Efficiency Production, Inc. for the proper shielding system for the project. After reviewing the plans the decision was clear; the Slide Rail was the proper tool for the job.

Efficiency sent an installation crew, lead by Doug Austin, to assist with the task since LFC was using the system for the first time. The Slide Rail System seemed complicated in comparison with standard trench shields, but once given the time to use it the learning curve was short. The many benefits of the system were realized as quickly as the installation crews became proficient in working with it! "Once our men saw how the first section went in the other two went in much faster, it took less than 100 man hours to install!" stated Lipinski.