for Sandia National Laboratories

This project represents one of several contracts Sandia National Laboratories awarded to AUI based on best value criteria. The scope of work primarily consisted of construction of a reinforced concrete box and channel lining, and installation of waterline and storm drain. An interesting feature of this project was the shape of the reinforced concrete box; it was 1,300 LF long (approximately 1,378 CY of Portland Cement and 215,396 lbs of rebar) and included a compound curve, which was especially challenging to cast in place since an elaborate "traveling slip-form system" was used to construct the box. The channel lining was machine placed.

for the New Mexico Department of Transportation

AUI's Las Cruces Division led the construction of the I-10/University Bridge Project in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The scope of work for this project called for replacement of the existing bridges with 5-span and 4-span pre-stressed concrete girder bridges, cast-in-place concrete deck, and concrete barrier railing. To keep traffic flowing through the construction site, the existing bridges had to be demolished in succession, freeway lanes had to be re-routed, and temporary traffic support structures utilized. Traffic control and traffic warning devices were crucial to the smooth operation of this project. The location of the old and new bridges over the BNSF Railroad tracks increased the level of challenge to this interesting and unique project.

for the City of Albuquerque

The premise of this project is to collect non-potable water from the Rio Grande River and with the aid of pumping stations, feed the water into water reuse piping systems for watering golf courses, parks and public spaces. This project included construction of a subsurface diversion facility comprised of a radial collector well, two horizontal collectors, 9.6-million-gallons-per-day (mgd) pump station, 24-inch pump station discharge piping, miscellaneous site work, and reclamation planting of the Rio Grande riverbank.

The Radial Collector Well/Caisson has a capacity of 3,500 gpm and included the construction of a 16' diameter concrete caisson, and installation of six (6) 12" diameter lateral well screens in the Rio Grande, projected approx. 200' radial from within the caisson and terminated with a gate valve. The Horizontal Collector System has 2 horizontal collector arms constructed using open-cut trenching methods in the Rio Grande, with an expected capacity of 1,750 gpm each. Each horizontal collector arm is made up of 20" diameter horizontal well screens, approx. 500' long and set to a depth of approx 20' below the riverbed. The work to construct the horizontal collectors required the construction of a temporary cofferdam that could be seen clearly from the Alameda Boulevard bridge over the river, to divert the Rio Grande flow. A major dewatering operation was necessary to allow excavation and open cut construction of the horizontal well collectors and the horizontal collector header pipe.

The 2,200 SF Alameda Reuse Pump Station was constructed over the top of the radial collector caisson. The pump station included three 3,200 gpm, 250-horsepower electric motor driven vertical pumps, a surge tank, onsite sodium hypochlorite generation system, electrical service and motor control center, HVAC system, pump discharge piping, valves, and flow meter.

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.