Heavy Construction Studio

Colorado School of Mines

Heavy Construction

Heavy construction refers to large-scale infrastructure projects that require extensive engineering, equipment, and financial investment. Tunnels, long span bridges, dams, reservoirs, ports, powerplants, renewable energy farms, pipelines, highways, and rail projects are examples of heavy construction. This is different from construction of small-scale projects or residential and commercial buildings.

Large-scale projects are supported by systems from many disciplines. Mechanical equipment transports equipment, prepares construction material, and modifies landscapes. Electrical equipment provides power for devices and comfort to construction workers. Material systems optimize properties of construction materials. This industry requires coordination between many engineering disciplines.

As the heavy construction industry has started to embrace new technologies, engineers familiar with automation, robotics, and data science are needed. This industry provides young engineers with the opportunity to get away from a desk, work on dynamic problems, and have lots of responsibility. An internship or full-time job in the heavy construction industry is a ticket to an exciting career.

Projects

I-70 Floyd Hill Project – Kraemer North America

Contractor: Kraemer NA

Cost: $700 Million

Timeline: July 2023 to late 2028

Description: Anyone who has driven I-70 to the mountains is well acquainted with the traffic of Floyd Hill. The two-lane bottleneck and steep grade can lead to hours of delay. The $700 million dollar I-70 Floyd Hill Project plans to address this. From 2023 to 2028, contractor Kraemer will add a third westbound travel lane, rebuild bridges, improve traffic flow at interchanges, increase site distance, and restore the surrounding environment.

To increase the width of the interstate, the contractor expands into the mountain side with rock blasting. Additionally, a flyover bridge with 120-foot-high columns will take motorists to the “wrong side” of the road. At the end of the project area, a significant portion of the mountain side will be removed.

Girder Installation

Pier Cap Pour

Mechanical Rock Scaling Following Rock Blast

Crew spraying shortcrete onto mountain wall

Photo Credit: CDOT/AtkinsRealis

Gross Reservoir Expansion Project – Kiewit + Barnard Construction

Contractor: Kiewit & Barnard Construction

Cost: $531 Million

Timeline: 2023 to 2027

Description: As population grows in the Denver Metro Area, the demand of water will increase. In addition, Denver Water has nearly 90% of its water storage in the southern side of Denver. The Gross Reservoir Expansion Project will mitigate the risk of drought by increasing thestorage capacity of the reservoir.

The project will raise the existing dam by 131 feet and almost triple the reservoir’s capacity. The dam will be raised from the bottom by extending the base of the dam. With limited access to the dam, a lot of work has been done on extending access for cranes, excavators, and other heavy equipment. Rock blasting has been utilized to make room for construction. To prepare the surface of the dam for new concrete, hydrodemolition will be used. An ultrahigh pressure pump will shoot water and an abrasive material to remove the top three inches of the dam. This willprovide a rough surface for new concrete to adhere to.

Hydrodemolition

Heavy Equipment

Explosive Installation

Dump Truck

Photo Credit: Denver Water

Chimney Hollow Reservoir Project – Barnard Construction

Contractor: Barnard Construction

Cost: $650 million

Timeline: 2021 to 2025

Description: Funded by 12 northeastern Colorado water providers, Chimney Hollow Reservoir will add resilience to the water supply for more than 500,000 residents. To build the reservoir, Barnard is constructing a zoned rockfill main dam, zoned rockfill saddle dam, reinforced concrete inlet/outlet structure, concrete-lined tunnel, concrete spillway, and water distribution facilities.

Typically, a rockfill dam has a clay core, but due to a lack of available onsite clay, the main dam was designed with an asphalt core. Dams with asphalt cores are common in Europe and Canada, but less common in the United States–the Chimney Hollow main dam will be the second of its kind in the country. To supply rockfill, the onsite quarry can produce up to 63,000 tons of aggregate per day, claiming the title of Colorado’s largest mining operation. When construction wraps up in 2025, the reservoir will provide critical water supply and recreational opportunities to the communities it serves.

Photo Credit: Northern Water

Hampton Roads Bridge – Tunnel Expansion Project – Dragados

Contractor: Dragados, Flatiron Construction, Vinci Construction, and Dodin Campenon Bernard

Cost: $3.9 billion

Timeline: 2023 to 2027

Description: Extreme congestion on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel has influenced the Virginia Department of Transportation to start the largest transportation project in the state. This project will widen a 10-mile corridor, replace 24 bridges, and include a pair of bored tunnels.Construction in Chesapeake Bay requires the use of cofferdams, gantry cranes, and other heavy equipment. Tunneling with tunnel boring machines (TBMs) requires site support with a launch shaft, slurry plant, grout plant, water filtration plant, and many other utilities. The contractors even need to extend the current islands along the alignment to accommodate the widened roadways. Demolition of the existing structure must be accomplished without affecting the surrounding environment and waterway.

Bridge Construction

Construction Island

Mary the Tunnel Boring Machine

Treatment Plant Infrastructure

Photo Credit: Virginia Department of Transportation

Denver International Airport (DEN) Gate Expansion Program – Flatiron Construction

Contractor: Flatiron Construction

Cost: $940 million

Timeline: 2018 – 2022

Description: Denver International Airport (DEN), which saw nearly 65 million travelers in 2018, is putting in 39 new gates across its concourses, to increase airline capacity by 30 percent.

Flatiron, alongside partner and sister company Turner, is working on expansion at Concourse A-West and Concourse B-West, where 16 of those new gates will be located. In total this joint venture will build or renovate an impressive 620,000 gross square feet of facility.

Concourse A-West will offer five levels including a full-length basement, apron, concourse, mezzanine (including a sterile corridor for incoming passengers to the five new international gates), and a mechanical level. The Concourse B-West project features three levels including the apron, concourse, and mechanical levels. Both concourses add extensive upgrades to the de-icing facilities as well as in-ground jet fuel pits.

The concourse expansions will provide views of Colorado’s famed mountains from new exterior west facing terraces.

With this large facilities expansion, DEN hopes to bring in new domestic and international carriers to Colorado’s Front Range region.

Photo Credit: Flatiron Construction

D Line Subway Extension Project – Traylor Brothers

Contractor: Traylor Brothers, Tutor Perini, Skanska, J.F. Shea Construction, Inc., Parsons Corporation, O&G Industries, Frontier-Kemper

Cost: $9.5 billion

Timeline: 2019 to 2027

Description: In preparation for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the Biden Administration awarded the Los Angeles region with $900 million dollars for transportation infrastructure improvements. The D Line Subway Extension Project will provide transportation between downtown Los Angeles to Westwood. As the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) will serve as the Olympic and Paralympic Village, visiting tourists will have the opportunity to travel underground efficiently in the area. Tunneling beneath a densely urban area poses many risks for the contractor. Two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be used through ground with gas pockets, tar sands, and unmapped oil wells.

Tunnels

Tunnel Boring Machine

Front Shield

Photo Credit: LA Metro

Resources for Students

Mechanical engineering in construction

Background

Heavy construction requires massive machinery and supporting utility systems. Heavy equipment like cranes, excavators, and tunnel boring machines are used to transport building material and modify the earth. Utility equipment such as HVAC systems, plumbing systems, and fire protection systems support job sites. These systems are maintained and designed by mechanical engineers. As a result, mechanical engineers are essential to construction.

The heavy construction industry is already adopting new technologies like robotics, automation, and data science. Mechanical engineers understand these systems better than other disciplines. The soft skills of a mechanical engineer also translate well to the heavy construction industry. Critical thinking skills, versatility, and leadership are all skills that are highly valued on a job site.

Mechanical engineers should consider careers in the heavy construction industry. They can work on dynamic problems, gain responsibility quickly, live in unique places, and have great job security.

Interviews with Mines Alum:

Phil Van Zale – Class of 2019 – Mechanical Engineering

Shimmick – Heavy Civil Construction and Operations

What attracted you to do an internship and eventually choose a career in the heavy construction industry as a mechanical engineer?

I enjoyed being out in the field, getting to work alongside the construction crews, and getting hands on experience. Construction was an easy fit when I found out that there were a lot of mechanical and electrical applications to heavy civil construction.

Why didn’t you choose another path (aerospace, automotive, etc) in mechanical engineering?

When I was looking for jobs, I knew I didn’t want to work solely in an office. The dynamic nature of the job allows me to work with many disciplines daily. Some days I’m on site with our civil engineering teams and other days I’m sifting through electrical control drawings with electrical engineers. It’s hard to get bored with how often the work evolves.

Why did you shift from being a Tunnel Mechanical Engineer in Canada to working in California?

I was in a long–term relationship with my now wife and wanted to be back in California closer to my family. With a Mines degree, great field experience, and access to the Mines alumni network,it was easy to find another job. Keep in touch with your regional alumni groups.

What courses at School of Mines best prepared you to work as a mechanical engineer in the heavy construction industry?

Since I am working with a lot of equipment, the most useful courses were MEGN351: Fluid Mechanics, MEGN481: Machine Design, and EENG281: Introduction to Circuits.

What are some of the best parts of working in the heavy construction industry?

I have been privileged in what I have been able to experience in the industry. Due to the magnitude of projects, I have been on, I have gotten to see many things that very few people get to. I’ve been to the top of 500ft bridge towers, and down 300ft deep in a tunnel below the ocean.

What is something you wish that you knew about the heavy construction industry before you joined?

No one knows all the answers. No one expects you to know all the answers. Learn from your mistakes and don’t be afraid to make them.

Caitlin DeAngelis – Class of 2017 – Mechanical Engineering

Kraemer North America

What attracted you to do an internship and eventually choose a career in the heavy construction industry as a mechanical engineer?

I chose heavy civil because it offers hands-on work and visible results. Unlike other industries, this field lets me directly work with materials and see the concrete outcomes of my efforts, which provides a strong sense of accomplishment and impact.

Why didn’t you choose another path (aerospace, automotive, etc) in mechanical engineering?

A major reason why I chose the heavy civil industry, particularly the transportation sector, is because of its stability and security. This reliability and the long-term nature of transportation projects made it a more attractive career choice for me compared to other options in mechanical engineering.

Why did you choose to work as a field engineer, rather than as a design engineer in an office?

I chose to work as a field engineer because I was drawn to the dynamic nature of the role and the opportunity to be outdoors. A lot of design engineer roles can feel monotonous with repetitive tasks, but a field engineer’s work intrinsically has variety to it. Each day presents new challenges and requires innovative solutions, which keeps the work engaging.

What courses at School of Mines best prepared you to work as a mechanical engineer in the heavy construction industry?

Courses like Mechanics of Materials and Statics were the most relevant to civil work in the mechanical engineering track. However, more broadly, the skills I gained in problem-solving, information retention and application, and teamwork were invaluable in preparing me for the industry.

What are some of the best parts of working in the heavy construction industry?

One of the most rewarding aspects of construction for me is the strong sense of teamwork and camaraderie that develops throughout a project. Building something complex requires close collaboration with a lot of different kinds of people, and that makes the work more enjoyable and fulfilling.

I also take great pride in knowing that my work contributes to improving infrastructure and making it safer for everyone for decades to come. The thought that our efforts result in lasting, tangible benefits for the community adds a deep sense of purpose and satisfaction to the job.

What is something you wish that you knew about the heavy construction industry before you joined?

One thing I wish I had known sooner is the diverse and dynamic nature of a career in this field. Creativity and innovation are crucial in the heavy civil industry, so actively seeking various opportunities to learn and gain new perspectives is encouraged and leads to a highly personalized, and fulfilling, career path.

Spring 2024 MEGN 200 class

Groups of 3-4 students developed a wireless system to control a custom-designed heavy construction robot (Construction Learning Robot, or CoLeBot) to navigate a simulated construction site. Each group first built a simplified controller and robot platform with four motors. Then, groups implemented their controller onto the CoLeBot with skid steer treads and a controllable robot arm with a gripper to complete a simulated construction site obstacle course and documented their system design approach

Interviews with Alumni