for the Village of Angel Fire

AUI teamed up with Bohannan-Huston, Inc. (BHI) to submit on the Design/Build, Angel Fire Roadway and Infrastructure Improvements Project. The AUI-BHI Team won the multi-year contract and started design and construction activities in 2009. In late 2010, the project will enter its second winter hiatus and is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2011.

Angel Fire, New Mexico, is located in the picturesque Morena Valley in northeastern New Mexico. With a base elevation of approximately 8,382’, Angle Fire is surrounded by three majestic mountain peaks ranging from 11,086’ to 13,161’. The $24.5 million design/build project spans over 25 square miles in the Angel Fire locale and consists of roadway and utility improvements to nine separate subdivisions. Given the difficult, rocky terrain and harsh weather conditions of the mountainous Angel Fire region, the AUI-BHI Team has overcome some real challenges; however, the abundance of natural wildlife coupled with the beauty and splendor of the alpine valley have provided tantamount appreciation of the high reaching work zones.

for the United States Navy

AUI's first experience with Design/Build was the Wake Island Missile Launch Facility in the South Pacific. This project's scope of work was straightforward and not complex, but the overall project had several unique considerations. One of these considerations, which required an enormous amount of pre-planning, was the 4,600-mile over-seas mobilization for all construction crews, tools, equipment, supplies and materials, including the concrete batch plant and mixer trucks. This example firmly established AUI's reputation for meticulous preparation, and whole force commitment to the project we undertake.

for the US Army Corps of Engineers at Holloman AFB

The Bonito Pipeline, located in southern New Mexico, provides raw water from Bonito Lake outside the Town of Ruidoso to the City of Alamogordo and other small communities along the way. Once treated, the water supplements the water supply for the City of Alamogordo and Holloman Air Force Base. The project entailed replacing a 55-mile plus portion of deteriorated 16-inch and 20-inch diameter concrete cylinder pipeline with new 14-inch through 20-inch SDR-18 and SDR-25 PVC pipe. The construction flanked State Highway and Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) right-of-way, ran through residential neighborhoods, under several arroyos and crisscrossed the highway and railroad.

The more challenging aspects of the project included, working in close proximity to the active pipeline, working next to the railroad, and through the arroyo crossings. Working adjacent to the railroad required constant coordination between AUI and UPRR to ensure that all construction personnel and equipment were moved beyond the clear zone each time a train passed through the work zone. The arroyo crossing at Temporal Creek required an excavation 35-feet deep and roughly 200-feet in length in order to protect the pipeline from scour. The volume of soil excavated created spoil piles stretching sometimes two-hundred feet behind the active work zone and requiring constant monitoring to control dust during periods of elevated winds.

In February of 2004, the United States Air Force Air Combat Command honored AUI Inc. with a Construction Excellence Award for this project stating that the project exceeded ACC's expectation for excellence in cost, schedule and quality control.

for the US Army Corps of Engineers

This design/build project called for demolition and removal of the existing 14-span bridge and construction of a new 7-span bridge structure along the same alignment. Structural reinforced concrete and heavy earthwork were two of the more significant components of the project. Structural concrete consisted of over 3,521 CY and included bridge decking, pier caps, abutments, channel lining, a box culvert, and dissipation structures. Steel reinforcement (rebar Grade 60) totaled approximately 552,410 LBS for these structures. The associated earthwork required for the bridge approach, drainage structures and detour road consisted of 139,700 CY.

The Design/Build, Replace Manzano Bridge project stands out as the first design/build project of the infrastructure (Civil Works) type let by the Albuquerque District of the Corps of Engineers (COE). This project received an Award of Merit for "Excellence in Construction" at the 2000 Associated Building Contractor's National Convention, which honors all the members of the construction team including the owner, contractor, and the design team.