Underground Construction Co., Inc. has recently completed the
UC Merced Site Development and Infrastructure project. This project is the
first phase of the building of the University of California's newest campus
located in Merced, California. Underground's portion of the work was the
installation of the electrical and communication infrastructure to support
the new university. The project was comprised of 20,000 feet of trench and
86 manholes.
In a little less than three months, our crew installed 10,000 feet of
communication trench, which included a joint duct bank consisting of a local
exchange carrier and an information technology network.
Both the electrical and communication trenches were encased in concrete
with rebar reinforcement. The conduit duct |
banks included duct spacers to maintain the appropriate separation and
tied down to
prevent floating during the encasement installation. The trenches were
backfilled with native material. The crew placed 55 communication manholes
to accommodate the two lines.
The manholes were placed in pairs to facilitate the segregation between
the two lines. Also installed were 10,000 feet of electrical duct bank and
31 large electrical vaults. The size of these manholes was 15 feet long
by 4 feet wide by 11 feet deep, similar to the installation of a small C.E.V.
(Controlled Environmental Vault).
Though the site was unimproved prior to the beginning of the project,
it quickly posed many challenges for our crew. |
Working among the other contractors installing the wet utility infrastructure,
ongoing site work, and the construction of the new campus buildings caused
logistical challenges for our crew. Underground also was required to install
trenches and manholes to a depth of 20 feet to allow for proper cover required
to bore under irrigation canals. Unanticipated ground water was also encountered
at various locations.
Project Manager Ashley Carter, Project Superintendent Rich Swanson, Foremen
Gustavo Elias-Cortes, Arturo Navarro and Mike Moser led our project team.
This group supervised a crew of nearly 30 employees with great success.
A big thanks goes out to them and their crew for completing the project
safely and on schedule during the peak of the high summer temperatures. |
