TIYAN PARKWAY ON SCHEDULE DESPITE SETBACKS, RAIN

Posted by Webmaster on August 11, 2014 in Guam News | 0 Comment Edit

BY MANUEL CRUZ
Journal Staff

The first phase of the Tiyan Parkway project is on schedule for completion early next year despite initial setbacks and a temporary standstill caused by Tropical Storm Halong, according to Graham Johnston, project manager at IMCO General Construction.

Now one of IMCO’s biggest challenges will be working through Guam’s rainy season.

“We’re prepared to work abnormal hours and days to work as quickly as possible and to the highest standard, as far as quality goes. We can’t control when it rains; all we can control is when we work,” Johnston told the Journal.

The project started a month after the notice to proceed was initiated on April 1 due to “unforeseen utilities underneath the roadway.”

This included unknown fiber optic cables, water lines and steel pipes. The lines were unclaimed by government of Guam utility agencies, and IMCO was forced to halt its progress.

“We didn’t know if we cut it if it would shut off someone’s service,” Johnston said. “At that point, every agency that previously did not claim it had to come back out and look at it and make sure it was not theirs. Then, we got the green light from the construction manager to go ahead and cut the lines and proceed.”

With less than a year left to complete the project, IMCO faces strict fines if the project is not completed on time.

If the project is not adequately completed by Feb. 31, IMCO could face a penalty of $2,700 for each day the project does not meet requirements. If the project is not completed by the contract completion date of March 31, IMCO could face additional charges of $2,700 for each day the project is not completed. This means that IMCO could potentially pay $5,400 for every day after March 31 that the project is incomplete.

The bid price for the contract was $7,341,558, which is federally funded through the Federal Highway Administration.

After the mass excavation of about 70,000 cubic yards, IMCO needs to remove about 1,800 lineal feet of utilities. Then, the company will install 827 feet of new sewer lines, 1,138 lineal feet of new waterlines and 4,271 lineal feet of new storm water pipes.

The site’s storm water management system is unique because it keeps all water on-site, preventing silt and other nutrients from flowing into the surrounding area. The new storm water management system is comprised of 21 new storm catch basins, storm pipes, and two storm water retention ponds lined with filter fabric and washed rock to prevent silt and other nutrients from seeping into the ground.

During the later stages of the first phase, IMCO will develop a four-way intersection and traffic signals on Route 16 between Cars Plus and San Jose Market. That will extend to a five-lane road along the airport property that continues to Sunset Boulevard. For this stage, IMCO has recruited approximately 19,000 tons of asphalt from Nippo USA Inc. for about 29,680 square surface yards and 4,000 square yards of sidewalk.

During this phase, Johnston hopes to implement a traffic control plan that will allow IMCO to continue working efficiently while maintaining safe, consistent access with limited interruptions.

“When this project is finished, it will drastically improve traffic in the Tiyan area with a more efficient traffic flow and a safer public area around the airport,” Johnston said. “When phase two comes, you’ll have a direct shot from the Mongmong-Toto-Maite area to Home Depot.”

Aside from the Tiyan project, IMCO is also working on the Inarajan bridge rehabilitation project, site work and utilities for Guam Regional Medical City and the Route 3 intersection improvements. Running the day-to-day operations of the Tiyan project are Assistant Project Manager Nicholas LaBorde and Site Superintendent Buck Varney.

The company employs about 20 heavy equipment operators, concrete carpenters and general laborers, all of whom are locally hired.

IMCO was founded in 1978 by Frank and Patti Imhof in Washington. The company came to Guam in 2009 for its first project on Andersen Air Force Base for the military buildup. IMCO began taking private work on Guam due to delays in the buildup and continues to grow and progress as a key civil contractor in the local community, it said.