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Zito Construction “Goes
Deep” with Triple Slide Rail
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| No Room to Spare Northern Concrete Pipe in Bay City, Michigan, supplied four, 8 ft. tall wet-well sections; one 6.5 ft. section; a 14 in. cap; and a 14 in.,14x16 ft. square well-footing. From the bottom of the footing to the top of the cap, the wet-well was 40.9 ft. tall. Because the new pump station was being installed near a drainage ditch, the existing pump station and close to a golf course, it was critical for the pit to be excavated precisely and the shoring system installed to engineered specifications. Slide-Rail System Provides Solution Efficiency Production, Inc. in Mason, Michigan, designed and engineered a custom shoring system for the tight, deep pit, utilizing their innovative Slide-Rail System with triple-rail corner posts. After excavating a 10 ft. deep bench, a pit was dug and simultaneously shored with three-tiered Slide Rail Panels in a 16x20 ft. four-sided configuration down to a final grade of 32 ft. This tight pit left only 14 and 26 inches of clearance for the 14 x 16 ft. well footing! |
Pump Station Installed in Three Days! December 13, 2004 · Dug 10 ft. bench for working excavation space
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Excavated and simultaneously shored with Efficiency Slide Rail
System December 14, 2004 · Backfilled 18 in. gravel bed · Installed one-foot thick 14x16 ft. wet-well footing at bottom of pit · Installed first of four 12 ft. diameter well sections, 8 ft. tall · Sealed well section to footing with sealant and concrete December 15, 2004 · Backfilled with stone up to lip of first well-section, removed bottom slide-rail panels · Installed and sealed remaining four round well-sections · Simultaneously backfilled pit and removed Slide Rail System |
Execution, Engineering, Ingenuity
Since the Efficiency Slide Rail is a dig & push system, Zito Construction was able to excavate the pit and install the shoring at the same time saving a significant amount of time and money since they could dig straight down to grade and shield the pit as they progressed to required depth. It also allowed them to keep the pit in a tight configuration and avoid encountering surrounding obstacles or underground utilities while excavating.
Using four, 32 ft. triple-rail corner posts, Zito Construction installed the Slide Rail System with 4 and 8 ft. high panels starting in the top outside rail, 4 and 8 ft. high panels in the middle rail, and 8 ft. panels in the lowest inside rail down to grade. The Slide Rail components were rented factory-direct from Efficiency Production, Inc.
System provides fast installation and removal
Larry Zito, one of eight brothers who own and operate Zito Construction, said that the installation of the Slide Rail went very well. “We had a similar dig last year that went about 40 ft. deep, and we used three, four-sided stacked trench boxes. When we went to remove them from the pit, one got stuck and it was very hard to remove,” Zito said. “I’ve never used the Slide Rail System before, and it’s worked pretty well. I can see a lot of uses for this system.”
Efficiency Production Director of Engineering Mike West noted that, “The Slide Rail System is perfect for a dig 30 ft. or more, because the triple rail configuration keeps side panels to a manageable, minimal weight. This helps in installation and removal. It’s certainly easier than installing and removing heavy four-sided trench boxes.”
Soil types varied from the top to bottom of the pit, with soft clay at the top and stiff clay at the bottom plus layers of sand and gravel. The site was dewatered for a month before excavation began. Working in freezing, December temperatures; Zito Construction was able to completely install the new pump station in just three days!
Project inspector, Jim Howard from Rowe, Inc., had this to say about the Vassar Road Pump Station project: “I was very impressed on how quickly the pit was dug and the Slide Rail installed. They were able to dig to grade in one day.” Howard added, “Everything has gone very smoothly; no problems with the design or materials. Without the Slide Rail, I think it would have taken a lot longer to install, and would have been much more complicated.”
Also working on this project from Rowe, Inc. was Engineer Doug Scott, and Grand Blanc Township Engineer Jack Wheatley.
Zito Construction used a CAT 375 Excavator with a four-yard bucket to dig the pit and install the Slide Rail System, plus a 966G Front Loader to maintain stone in a 15-yard Efficiency Production Stone Mizer.
System Saves Time and Money
“If we had used a sheeting system for this project it would have taken two weeks,” said John Zito, another Zito sibling and co-owner of the family business. “I like working with Efficiency Production because they provide great service, and have always treated us well.”
In addition to Larry and John, brothers Ron and Gerry Zito worked on the Vassar Road Pump Station project. Zito Construction specializes in road building, earth moving, sewers and water-mains for municipalities and developers in Michigan. Their work includes: land clearing, landscaping, boring & jacking, pump stations, sewer jetting, brick pavers, bridges, hydroseeding, and streetscapes.
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 Zito
Construction’s armless CAT 375 Excavator lowers a 14x16 ft. well-footing
into a 20x16 pit, with only 14 in. of clearance! |
 Laying
the foundation for a 40 ft. wet-well poses several challenges, not the least
of which is getting to the bottom of the 32 ft. pit safely! |
 The
triple-rail Efficiency Production, Inc. Slide Rail System is installed
simultaneously as the pit is excavated by installing the panels in the
outside top-rail first, the middle panels second, and finally the inside
bottom rail panels as the dig reaches grade. |
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