When Mitch Collins, a surveyor for Alberici, was honored as one of ENR’s “Top 25 Newsmakers” on April 18, he made a point to thank the Ironworkers of Shop Local 518 and Local 396 for making the demanding Seabrook gate project in New Orleans—which utilized a challenging simultaneous concrete gate foundation/wall placement and structural steel gate assembly—seem like a walk in the park.
ENR described the project as “schedule-driven,” requiring “tight dimensional control in fabrication and construction. Traditionally, that control would be assured by dry-fitting fabricated parts to place embeds accurately; the parts would then be removed for secondary pours.” But due to the project’s exacting schedule and strict deadline, the gates would need to be fabricated and the concrete wall and embedspoured simultaneously.
According to a recent release from Alberici, Collins, in order to meet deadline, “performed laser scanning to help install massive steel gates at the Seabrook Gate Complex in New Orleans.” 3D laser scanning allowed Union Ironworkers employed at Hillsdale Fabricators—a division of Alberici—to quickly and accurately represent the dimensions of both the gate and the poured-in-place levees that would surround it. It would then be up to these Ironworker steel fabricators, as well as welders and riggers, to create the gate pieces in St. Louis and barge them 600 miles down the Mississippi to New Orleans, there assembling and hoisting the gates into place—with zero room for error.
Simultaneous fabrication and site preparation made for anything but an easy installation process. Once the gates reached New Orleans, specially trained Ironworker welders were tasked with fitting and welding cast pintle bearing to the gate. “We had an eighth of an inch tolerance at any given location on the gate, so we had to sequence our welding and apply different braces, jacks and pressures to keep the entire gate in alignment to meet up with the existing concrete structure in New Orleans,” said Josh Cindrell, Alberici’s project director at Seabrook. “Once Mitch gathered the data and provided direction to the guys, they understood exactly what needed to happen.”
In spite of the project’s difficulty, there was never any question that Ironworkers would be up for the task. “I haven’t ever seen any other trades do what we did on this project,” said Wilbur Knuckles, the project Ironworker superintendent. According to Knuckles, only Ironworkers possessed the structural know-how to piece the gates together so meticulously and then fit them in place. For one, Ironworkers were the only trade qualified to perform the heavy rigging necessary to stand the gates—over 34 feet tall—on end. And, Ironworkers were the only trade experienced enough to complete the MIG welding needed to put the gates together—a process which is usually never performed outside because of the shielding gas required to prevent oxygen, nitrogen and water vapor from affecting the quality of the weld. So, Ironworkers improvised: “MIG welding is usually only done in the shop. We had to build tents around the structure to contain the gas required to weld,” Knuckles explained.
Why Union Ironworkers? “I’ve studied other apprenticeship programs,” Knuckles said. It’s definitely the Ironworker training that sets them apart.”
“It was a challenging and interesting job for us as Ironworkers but we all hung together and made it fun and achieved something to be proud of,” added Justin Harmon, who served as Ironworker general foreman on the project.
If given the chance, Mitch Collins said he would gladly work with Ironworkers on another project. “Their techniques, especially their welding habits, were fantastic for delivering a good product,” Collins said. “It was a great working atmosphere that they provide, both professionally and personality-wise.”