TRAVERSE CITY, MICH., February 1, 2017 – Team Elmer’s was recently recognized by the Builders Exchange of Northwest Michigan for two of their highest-profile projects from the past year. Doug DeYoung of the Traverse Area Chamber of Commerce was on hand at last month’s Builders Exchange Awards Banquet to recognize area contractors for the exemplary nature of their work and positive economic impact upon the community. Team Elmer’s scored accolades for their work on the Pine Street Pedestrian Bridge and Garland Street in the Warehouse District in Traverse City, Michigan.
The first project honored with an award was the Pine Street Pedestrian Bridge, which linked Garland Street and the Warehouse District to the rest of the downtown area. Aside from setting the two sections of the bridge with a tandem set of cranes on each side of the river, crews removed power poles and built a 13 by 26 cofferdam sheet pile box to set the abutment roughly 5 feet below the water level. The work on Garland Street included replacing 458 feet of 8 inch sanitary sewer and 838 feet of storm sewer. The unique redesign included various colored stamped concrete that made up both the roadway and sidewalks.
”It’s an honor to be recognized by the Builders Exchange alongside our colleagues in this great community,” said Troy Broad, president of Team Elmer’s.
Al MacDonald, project manager for Team Elmer’s, explained the intricacies of the project. “The bridge required coffered dams to install abutments five feet below water level for the foundation footing. This intricate work required attention to detail.” MacDonald added, “It was a true team effort. Two cranes were used to place the 106 ft long, 60,000 lb, pedestrian bridge sections over the Boardman River. The lighting imbedded in the concrete seat walls was designed by Top Line Electric and City of Traverse City engineers. Local landscape architect, Nate Elkins, created a laser cut steel plate in the barrier section below the bridge handrail designed to mimic dune grass and branches. It was a very unique project.”
Since its incorporation in 1959, the Builders Exchange of Northwest Michigan has been dedicated to fostering the growth and progress of the northwest Michigan area by encouraging high quality workmanship. The organization believes that construction projects such as those honored at their annual awards event will play key roles in a healthy community.
The second project honored was the redesign of Garland Street. The project included replacing 458 feet of 8 inch sanitary sewer and 838 feet of storm sewer. However, the hallmark of the redesign was the various colored stamped concrete that made up both the roadway and curbless sidewalks.
“The concrete color and pattern change to visually separate the curbless sidewalk area from the traffic lanes was a new traffic calming concept for northern Michigan,” stated Jeff Saxton, Team Elmer’s project manager. “Garland Street was a challenging project to keep schedules on time and concrete placement in an orderly fashion. We appreciate our crews working together with Bella Concrete, Top Line Electric, Fleis & Vandenbrink Engineering, and the City of Traverse City to complete this award winning project on-time.”
Team Elmer’s, a family owned company since 1956, specializes in site development, including excavation, earth moving, underground utility installation, piers and piling, retaining wall construction, directional boring, aggregate production, concrete ready-mix, asphalt installation (commercial and residential), milling, and crane/rigging, among other specialties. Today, Traverse City, Mich.-based Team Elmer’s has grown to include more than 400 skilled personnel in 13 northern Michigan locations.
To learn more about Team Elmer’s, call (231) 943-3443, visit www.TeamElmers.com,or send an email to info@teamelmers.com.
###
