Riddleberger served as the general contractor for this project. The intent of the project was to supply steam from the central campus boiler plant to the old North (RMH) boiler plant so that the North plant boilers could be decommissioned. This included the deep excavation of nearly 2,000 linear feet of trench across the heart of James Madison’s campus which allowed for the installation of the required steam piping and manholes. The majority of this project was required to be complete in one summer session prior to the arrival of students in August. The location, schedule and scope of this project presented many challenges:

• Safety – Deep excavations present severe safety hazards to our workers which can only be mitigated through careful planning and execution. These deep excavations along with their location also presented a challenge to public safety. Careful planning of vehicular and pedestrian traffic was required to ensure the safety of all visitors in the vicinity of the jobsite.
• Coordination – While prior utility surveys and existing conditions were incorporated into the design there have been many instances where previously unknown utilities or conditions were discovered as our trenches were excavated. These instances required intense coordination and communication amongst the contractor, design and owner teams to ensure adequate solutions were implemented without impact to the overall project schedule.