An increase in temperature combined with a corresponding workload demand has presented Underground with brutal challenges at the Miami International Airport fueling project throughout this calendar year. Additionally, American Airlines solicited Underground to perform the following tasks (in many cases, simultaneously) so far in 2002: * Tie-in to the County's south twin 20-inch fuel lines. * Completion of Sequences 1 and 2 in Area 2, which included three 4'x 6'x10' Isolation Valve Pits (IVPs), 900 feet of fuel lines and a 24'x 24'x12' cast-in-place control valve vault with all interior piping. * Tie-in to the 12-inch/16-inch pipeline supplying four Concourse D gates. * Decommissioning 600 feet of existing fuel lines within the Concourse D-Extension footprint. * Completing the 800-foot southern fuel line in the D-Extension on schedule to allow aircraft taxi lane shift. * Decommissioning 3,000 feet of existing fuel lines within the A/B and B/C Infill Areas. * Start and complete all work in Area 3, including IVPs, 3 low/high point pits, 700 feet of pipeline and tie-ins to existing systems. * Decommissioning 300 feet of existing fuel lines underneath the airport Burger King, including setting an additional IVP. To make matters more difficult, access has been limited in all of the above areas by ongoing work of other contractors also trying to ensure completion of the new D-Extension Terminal by 2005. Underground has risen unflaggingly time and time again to meet and defeat all of the above challenges. Perhaps Underground's work effort this year is best explained by the glowing quotes in an American Airlines letter to Fueling Division Manager Errol Bisutti: * "Underground committed to a grueling schedule..." * "Beating the Area 3 schedule whenever access to the area was available..." * "...the willingness of Underground to make the extra effort necessary..." * "...the Miami crew came through in exemplary fashion..." * "...we look forward to continuing success..." The letter went on to praise the 'tireless efforts' of a number of key Underground personnel, including Project Manager Jon Klion, Superintendent Nick Cunningham, Foremen Ken Perry and Rafael Saavedra, and welder Dean Conrad; without their efforts, "the schedule could not have been met." Together, this work has comprised over $3 million in volume in the first six months of this calendar year alone. All work has been performed on time and under budget. And, most importantly, Underground's 2002 work in Miami has extended the perfect safety record of 2001. Congratulations to the entire Miami crew, and keep up the good work
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