Jobsite Services Cleans Up

by Mike Fernandez

Grand Rapids, MI. - Environmental contractor Jobsite Services, Inc. of Bay City, Michigan has completed a site remediation project across the state in Grand Rapids. The project called for removing and disposing impacted soil, installing a liner, and backfilling with offsite material on the property where a Shell Oil gas station stood. The remediation was necessary before a new 10,000 sq. ft. commercial building could be constructed on the site. 

The small site had limited access since it was adjacent to 3 roads, historical buildings, and homes. The original plans specified three pits of 44 ft. in length x 24 ft. in width x 20 ft. in depth in sand with a water table at 17 feet. Jobsite Services could not use sheeting productively in these conditions due to the risk of damaging vibrations to the surrounding historical structures nor could they slope effectively in the small, sandy lot. So, Jobsite Services President, Derek Marranca, contacted Efficiency Production, Inc.’s Product Specialist Bob Burg, and Engineering Director Mike West, who assisted him with the selection of a 4-sided, 2-bay, linear Slide Rail System measuring 44’ long x 24’ wide x 20’ deep with parallel beams and spreader pipes connecting the bays across the middle of the excavation. Included was the on-site support of Efficiency’s Slide Rail installer Troy Serrels.

Marranca had used an Efficiency Slide Rail before and had been thinking about using it again, “Finally I had the site were the application was ideal with the proximity of the roads, the overhead power lines, the utilities, and the historical district buildings,” stated Marranca. “There was a lot of concern about damaging the buildings. One of the main reasons I got the job was because I proposed Efficiency’s system in the bid. We were not the low bidder but we were chosen because the system would not damage the buildings.”

 Since the Efficiency Slide Rail is a dig & push system Jobsite Services was able to excavate the pit and install the shoring at the same time while limiting the amount of vibration normally associated with sheeting. In addition, they saved a significant amount of time and money since they could dig straight down to the contamination rather than having to slope the excavation. “If we did open cut it would have been two times the amount of material (or 10,000 tons) to dig, transport, and backfill,” said Marranca. “By using the Slide Rail system we could achieve our depth within 4 feet of roads and utilities!” Once Jobsite’s crew reached the depth of the contaminated soil they used a Komatsu PC200LC long stick excavator to dig and load the soil on trucks for disposal. 

Terry Lowrie of ATC Associates, environmental consultants contracted by Shell Oil, said, “We also saved money on clean fill because we didn’t lose or contaminate any of the newly compacted 7 ft. grade since the slide rail prevented sloughing once the panels were positioned in the adjacent pit. The original site plan specified three pits but the process was so well organized that we used the Slide Rail two more times in between the three original pit locations.” Marranca agreed, “Nobody likes to dispose of new fill.”

 Jobsite Services used a Volvo EC460BLC excavator with a 54” bucket, a Volvo loader, and a Komatsu PC200LC long stick (55 ft.) excavator.

 Compaction and safety were also big issues. It is typically difficult in deep, sloped excavations to get good compaction and maintain a safe trench. In this case, the sandy soil would have made it difficult to contain the slope in the tight area and a worker running a compactor at the bottom of a trench would have been at risk of being trapped by a cave-in. Instead, the Slide Rail panels held the fill in place with no loss of new clean soil. “Achieving compaction next to nearby structures and roadways was made possible through the use of the system,” said Marranca. “We could just throw the dirt in there and grade it with the excavator…it was a safe hole and we could put a guy down there and just run a compactor inside the box, get good compaction, and bring it up to grade!”

 Shell Oil and ATC were very pleased with Efficiency’s Slide Rail system and Jobsite Services’ efficient use of it.  It took three days for the crew to set the Slide Rail in the first two pits but the next three only took one day each. “The system was not difficult to use at all,” said Marranca. “I plan to use the system again, in fact, I’m bidding several new jobs with it.”

“I’m really excited about the Slide Rail and I see a lot of applications for it,” stated Marranca. “We are looking into specializing at installing Efficiency’s Slide Rail as a subcontractor!” 

The job started in April and was completed on time in July. 

Jobsite Services are environmental contractors for site remediation of groundwater and soil for redevelopment since 1999 throughout the U.S. They are a diverse full service environmental and general contractor serving industrial, chemical, commercial industries, and also works on sewer, water, building projects.