- Overview
- Big Tujunga Dam
- Long Beach Viaduct
- Marine Repairs
- Overpass at Hobart Rail Yard
Rehabilitation - Overview
Superior is uniquely positioned to meet the challenge of restoring the aging infrastructure that is vital to our communities. We bring the Shotcrete Advantage and superior solutions to the rehabilitation of major civil projects that keep our transportation, defense, commerce and resource systems functioning. Our capabilities are so diverse and our solutions so flexible that we bring exceptional value to a wide range of projects. From railway systems to highway systems, sea ports to dams, we lead the industry in on time and on budget rehabilitation work.
Big Tujunga Dam: Tujunga, California
The seismic upgrading of the Big Tujunga Dam presented a host of challenges that Superior was uniquely qualified to meet. The first monumental challenge was safety. Our crews were required to perform their skills against a vertical rock abutment of close to 350 feet. Team members were put through special rigorous training so that they could perform while suspended from ropes and harnesses. At these extreme heights, our crews drilled in excess of 17,000 LF of Williams Rock Anchors from 50 to 70 feet deep each into the vertical rock. An additional 18,000 LF of rock dowels and drainage pipes were installed to anchor and drain the Shotcrete rock cover. While these crews performed like skilled mountain climbers suspended from ropes and harnesses, our expert nozzle men applied the Shotcrete from man baskets suspended from a large crane. To further complicate this demanding project, most of Superior's work had to be performed at night to ensure the safety of other crews working below during the day shift. Superior's innovative capabilities were required to custom build drilling platforms, limited access drilling equipment and specialty Shotcrete pumping systems. A safety triumph, this extremely difficult rehabilitation exceeded 35,000 man-hours with no major injuries.
Long Beach Viaduct: Long Beach, California
As a key corridor into downtown Long Beach, the 6th Street Viaduct at the 710 Freeway serves as an excellent example of the versatility of Shotcrete construction in difficult shape and orientation type applications. This seismic retrofit consisted of retrofitting a hybrid concrete pier and structural steel girder deck bridge. All of the pier caps were heavily reinforced and retrofitted with high strength concrete utilizing Shotcrete placement methods. Spandrels and shear keys were also strengthened. This project for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works presented safety and logistical challenges as the work was performed over main rail and road arteries as well as a series of water channels to the Port of Long Beach.
Marine Repairs: US Naval Base San Diego and Port of Los Angeles
Structural marine repairs are some of the most challenging in the industry. In tidal waters, pier repairs require a sharp focus on rapid application and set-up. The demands of marine repair make Shotcrete an excellent choice over conventional hand applied repairs. Superior recently performed an under deck repair at the Port of Los Angeles that required the demolition and removal of in excess of 2,000 lbs. of rebar and the application of over 2,000 cubic feet of Shotcrete. Acting as the general contractor, our crews performed demolition of top deck and under deck areas followed by the repair of the top deck, under deck soffit, piles and pile caps. We utilized silica fume enhanced mortar mix to make the repairs while working off of specially constructed floats. We also recently performed several similar repairs at the US Naval Base in San Diego requiring over 10,000 lbs. of rebar replacement and in excess of 10,000 cubic feet of silica fume Shotcrete repair. Work on both projects was completed within very tight tidal time frames.
Overpass at Hobart Rail Yard: Los Angeles, California
The strategic location of this extensive retrofit project where the 710 Freeway passes over the largest rail yard in the world, which in turn serves the largest sea port in the world, called into play our Shotcrete solutions that could get us in and out quickly and that could minimize the shutdown of key track routes. A member of our family of companies served as the general contactor and Superior implemented many of its innovative applications installing shear walls at piers, hinge bolsters, shear keys, footings and shoring. Our specialized techniques and capabilities allowed us to minimize the space and time required for the retrofit saving costs and minimizing the interruption to this vital corridor of commerce.
