Wisconsin Builder | Top Projects of 2002

Trust Rewards

Bridge project succeeds on faith

CP Rail Superstructure La Crosse

By Chris Thompson

Edward Kraemer & Sons Inc. and Canadian Pacific Railway struck a pretty nice trade last year: The contractor gave the railroad a topnotch bridge in return for a rare level of trust and a host of future work.

"We've done some big work across the country, but for an owner to put that kind of trust in us...," said Dennis Maney, Edward Kraemer senior project manager. "I look at that, and that's one of the biggest accomplishments I've had in my career with Kraemer."

Canadian Pacific's faith in the Plain-based contractor started at the beginning of the CP Rail Superstructure bridge replacement over the Mississippi River in La Crosse, and it only grew as the project progressed. The $1.24 million job called for Kraemer to replace four 150-foot truss spans over the east channel of the Mississippi.

But the project's challenges appeared before work even started. The original plan detailed eight girder spans replacing the truss spans, but the state Department of Natural Resources raised flags because it felt the design restricted boat traffic, Maney said.

"The railroad put half the project on hold and did a redesign to account for those concerns," he said. "By doing that, they pushed us late into the fall of 2000. The winter set in very early, so, subsequently, we were unable to finish the substructure portion in 2000."

When Kraemer reappeared in spring to finish the 2000 work, floods hit the area, pushing the project back to June 1, 2001.

"We added additional crews, and we were able to work on the 2000 work and start the 2001 work," Maney said. "We fought weather from extreme cold to high water, so that was a big part of the project. There were other challenges, and we came up with innovative ways to handle them. But we haven't managed to control the rivers and weather."

Unique solutions

Project Name: CP Rail Superstructure
Location: La Crosse
Submitting Company: Edward Kraemer & Sons Inc., Plain
General Contractor/Construction Manager: Edward Kraemer & Sons Inc., Plain
Architect: Canadian Pacific Railway, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Engineer: Canadian Pacific Railway, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Owner: Canadian Pacific Railway, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Project Cost: $1.24 million
Start Date: August 2000
Completion Date: January 2002

As the project continued, Kraemer had to figure out how to replace a railroad bridge without causing too many delays in rail traffic, Maney said.

"When it came time to putting the new structure in place, we erected a temporary false work upstream," he said. "We built the new bridge completely upstream, and then, in a series of stages, replaced sections."

The precision and speed of the swap-outs and the focus on safety every step of the way defined the project, Maney said.

"We could take out a 150-foot bridge in less than an hour's time — that's quite an accomplishment — and take a brand new structure and push it into place," he said. "To do that and then be ready to put a train on there in two to three hours is incredible."

And the trust that Canadian Pacific had in Kraemer hit its high point when the contractor went to the owner with plans to replace the last two portions of the bridge in one switch-out instead of two. The owner didn't flinch, telling Kraemer that it had faith in its plan.

"The relationship that we built with the owner during the project was incredible," Maney said. "There was such a synergy. We felt that on that job, there was no challenge we couldn't overcome. You just don't find that too often."

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