Randolph Construction Services

Randolph Project: Mount Rainier Emergency Road Repairs

Back to Featured Projects »

• Project Name: Mount Rainier Emergency Road Repairs
• Location: Two sites (Stevens Canyon Rd & Nisqually-Paradise Rd) - Mt Rainier National Park, Washington
• Client: U.S. DOT Federal Highway Administration, Western Federal Lands Highway Division
• Contract Details: Unit Priced $965,407
• Work Performed: Emergency Road Repairs

Description:

Randolph was awarded this challenging project on May 27, 2009 with a notice to proceed on June 15, 2009 and a completion date of July 31, 2009. The emergency repairs consisted of rebuilding the roadway embankment in two locations in Mount Rainier National Park that were lost due to slides. The repairs would require Randolph to rebuild the roadway embankments utilizing slope stabilization geotextile fabric and mechanically placing large riprap aggregate. Due to the environmental sensitivity in the National Park, Randolph would be required to implement precautionary measures to prevent pollution and transportation of foreign vegetation and noxious weeds into the park.

Randolph successfully completed this project ahead of schedule and under budget. Over 2,000 tons of special rock embankment was placed at Nisqually-Paradise Road and over 6,500 tons were placed on Stevens Canyon Road. Randolph successfully coordinated delivery and installation of up to approximately 1,000 tons of material per day in order to complete this project on time. The success of this project led Randolph to become part of a statewide MATOC contract with the Western Federal Lands Highway Division.

The short contract time and the environmental sensitivity of the park required Randolph management to evaluate the project plan and schedule with an exceptional level of consideration. Heavy equipment used on the project was cleaned of excess dirt and grease, and oils were changed to bio-degradable vegetable-based oil. Certified weed-free erosion control devices also were ordered and installed prior to construction. Throughout the project, all trucks and equipment entering the park were cleaned and free of loose soils that may have contained foreign vegetation.

The Nisqually-Paradise Road site was the first site to be completed... At the time, a one-lane road above the slide was still open to the public. Extra care was taken in traffic control and safety during the construction process. Randolph utilized three excavators and a front-end loader to rebuild the embankment. The embankment was rebuilt from 100 feet below the roadway on a slope of approximately 1.25 horizontal to 1 vertical. Highly skilled operators used excavators and cut benches into the slope, removing unstable soils in the process. Slope stabilizing geotextile fabric was placed on the benches and large riprap aggregate built the embankment. The three excavators and the loader worked together seamlessly, passing the riprap material from the street level to the bottom of the slide. Excavators with mechanical thumbs carefully placed the riprap so that it keyed in place creating a compact and stable embankment. With the roadway embankment in place, fill material and roadway base aggregate was installed followed by asphalt paving and roadway markings.

The second site on Stevens Canyon Road consisted of a slide area nearly 200 feet wide, 145 feet below the roadway. Stevens Canyon remained closed through construction due to the severity of the slide. The work to rebuild the embankment mimicked that of the Nisqually-Paradise Road site. In addition to rebuilding the roadway embankment and road, Randolph constructed tree well rockery walls and planting pockets out of exceptionally large riprap to protect existing trees and to allow for new growth.

Project Snapshots