Green Bay Contractor Installs Big Pipe, Big Distance
with Help of Custom-Built Trench Box

A consortium of six Green Bay, Wisconsin, suburban communities recently let bids to build a 65-mile long raw-water pipeline from Ledgeview, Wisconsin, to a treatment plant on Lake Michigan in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

The huge pipe-installation project is divided into separate contracts, where each contractor is responsible for installing sections of the pipeline in different locations along the path which runs through portions of Brown and Manitowoc County.

Contract “I” was awarded to low-bidder PTS Contractors, Inc., of Green Bay, Wisconsin. The $11.6 million contract involves installing 46,000 linear feet of hi-capacity 48 in. steel spiral water main pipe, in 50 ft. joint lengths.

Local equipment distributor Miller-Bradford & Risberg helps explore shoring solutions
Installing the very large, very long sticks of pipe over a long distance presented a number of shoring challenges for PTS. Company President Greg Joski, Vice President Mark Schleis, and Project Manager Steve Horn considered a number of options before contacting Justin Samuels at Miller-Bradford & Risberg–a leading distributor of trench safety equipment in Wisconsin.

“One of the first things Justin and I did was to visit a few job sites and see what other contractors are doing in similar situations,” said Schleis. “Justin came up with a great plan that I think improved upon what others were trying.”

Samuels reviewed the project specs and contacted Efficiency Production, Inc., a leading manufacturer of trench shields and shoring, headquartered in Michigan. Efficiency Production has a strong reputation for custom engineering trench shielding systems to meet unique shoring challenges. Samuels and Efficiency V.P. of Engineering, Mike West, came up with a plan for a long in-line trench shielding system that met the soil and pipe requirements.

Explains Samuels: “We finalized a custom-designed system that combines a 34 ft. and a 27 ft. long trench box into one 61 ft. modular unit. The boxes can quickly and easily be put in and pulled out of the trench as the pipe installation progresses, and it doesn’t require extraordinarily heavy equipment.”

Efficiency Production “Super Arch” trench boxes save the day
Each trench shield is a custom-built Efficiency HT-8 model with sidewalls measuring 8 in. thick and 10 ft. high, which include a specially-engineered connecting-pin assembly that locks the boxes together on the ends of the adjoining sidewalls. Pin-in-place spreader arches with 84 in. cross beams are set at the adjoining ends of each box to allow greater clearance for the pipe joints. The outer ends of the two boxes are equipped with 7 ft. spreader pipes.

“We’ve actually built a couple of these ‘Super-Arch’ boxes for other projects that have needed the extra length for long pipe installs,” explains West. “In each situation, the contractor has been very happy with the trench shields, and they have worked very well.”

Schleis agrees, “These are the best darn ‘shoes’ I’ve ever worked with, and I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I would certainly recommend this trench shielding system to other contractors.” Schleis adds that he is very happy with the progress his crew is making; installing about 450 ft. of pipe per day (approximately nine pipe sections) through the open country.

The pipeline is being installed primarily in the right-of-way of rural county-owned roads, specifically County Trunk Q. The average trench depth is 14 ft., progressing through ever-changing ground conditions.

“When completed, the new pipeline will have the capacity to deliver 23.5 million gallons of fresh potable water per day,” says Ron Umentum, President of the Central Brown County Water Authority. “It will certainly be capable of supplying this rapidly growing area with enough fresh drinking water for the foreseeable future,” he adds. The new water supply will service approximately 237,000 residents in the communities of Bellevue, Ledgeview, Howard, Lawrence, Allouez, and De Pere.

The Right Tools for the Job
Undoubtedly, heavy machinery is necessary to manage the pipe installation and the two-shield combination, so PTS is using a CAT 385 excavator with a 5-yard bucket, in addition to a 992 John Deere backhoe for adding stone backfill. The job started Jan. 3, 2006 and is scheduled to be completed on time by Oct. 09, 2006.

PTS Contractors, Inc. specializes in underground utility installation. They have been in business for 27 years. Company President Greg Joski is also the Estimator on the project; Mark De Bauche is the Crew Foreman; and Frank Musgrave is the Project Engineer.

Miller-Bradford & Risberg, Inc. is a distributor of equipment and supplies for construction, forestry, industry, and municipalities, operating from six locations in Wisconsin, one in Upper Michigan, and one in Rockford, Illinois. The MBR goal is to be the Dealer of Choice by making customers its No. 1 priority, supplying products and product support that exceeds expectations.

Efficiency Production, Inc., “America’s Trench Box Builder™,” provides the widest selection of standard and custom trench shielding & shoring systems. Efficiency’s versatile products are designed specifically for safe and cost effective installation of utility systems and infrastructure improvements. All products are P.E. certified to meet OSHA and MIOSHA standards.
 

PTS Contractors were the low-bidder on a $11.6 million contract to install 46,000 linear feet of hi-capacity 48 in. steel spiral water main pipe.	PTS Contractors rented from Miller-Bradford & Risberg two custom-built Efficiency Production, Inc. HT-8 model trench shields, with sidewalls measuring 8 in. thick and 10 ft. high. The trench boxes include a specially-engineered connecting-pin assembly that locks the boxes together on the ends of the adjoining sidewalls.
PTS Contractors are installing about 450 ft. of pipe per day (approximately nine pipe sections) through the open country of Wisconsin’s Brown and Manitowoc County.	Using Efficiency Production, Inc. trench boxes allows the contractor to keep the trench just a few feet wider than the pipe; a critical advantage when installing pipe in the right-of-way of this county road.