1st Quarter 2013 Volume 11, Issue 1

Vancouver at 134th St. Interchange By: Nate Andersh

KLB’s work on the 134th St Interchange for I-5/I-205 in Vancouver is in full swing. With

construction beginning in September, KLB has been the earthwork subcontractor for Max J Kuney on

this DOT contract worth approximately $43.5 million. The goal of the project is to provide better

access to the busy Salmon Creek area that is

home to many businesses as well as the

Salmon Creek Medical Center and the

WSU-Vancouver campus. This goal will be

accomplished by adding a large 10-pier

bridge crossing over both I-5 and I-205 that

will add on and off-ramps to I-5. It will

also create a second east-west arterial for

area traffic that will become an extension

of 139th St.

This is almost entirely an export

job. Virtually all of the 109,000 cy of road

ex is hauled off and the 51,000 cy of em-

bankment is all import select borrow. In-

cluded in roadway excavation is the com-

plete removal of the existing on-ramp

from 134th St to I-5 NB as well as the lowering of a section of I-205 to make room for the new 139th St

Bridge. Some of the other main items of work for KLB include 12,500 sf of geosynthetic retaining

walls, almost 19,000 sy of quarry spall pads for driller work

areas, 29,000 tons of CSBC for roadway surfacing, 5,000 lf

of storm drain and various drainage structures.

The first paving is scheduled for April when three

of the new ramps will get black-top with traffic being

opened to one of the three. Substantial completion is

scheduled for early 2014. KLB’s crew consists of foreman

Matt Rowland, superintendant Dick Wall, project manager

Aiesh Ragih and office assistant Amanda Burgess.

Crews construct pillow wall #2 for the West approach of the new 139th St. Bridge

Embankment and pillow wall for the

new on-ramp to I-5 NB

Top Five Heavy Equipment Safety Issues By : Zak Collins

Everyone,

Welcome to Spring. As this is being written there are 3" of snow on the ground at the Mukilteo office, so

Spring not so fast!! In this issue we have an intro to KLB U, this is a computer based project that Richard and Zak

have been working on and it’s very exciting. This will aide in our safety training, administrative and day to day

operation procedures so that we can concentrate on what needs to be trained and not be repetitive with info that is

already known. Hopefully the roll out will be smooth but as always we ask for everyone's patience with this proc-

ess. We introduced this idea to our insurance company a few weeks back and the feedback of us pushing the enve-

lope for training and thinking outside the box definitely was in the fore front of their mind.

You will also see some great projects highlighted here. Mellen street has been on fire trying to meet the own-

ers fast track schedule which is needed to make way for another project being let out right behind it. A littler fur-

ther south at 134th they crews have been busy as well, the primary reason for us is to support the access of the

bridge contractor so they can do girder erection in soft ground and a few misc on/off ramps. Last, but not least is

Bow Lake and the crews have been very diligent over the winter month's with the pre loads so that the final grading will

go smoothly this summer its been a interesting one to watch, while the maintain operation of the new and old transfer

station and move mass amounts of cut/fill.

The Summer looks to be busy and as always I would ask that everyone watch out for each other and be safe!

KLB and BG

Each construction season there are thousands of worker injuries and hundreds of fatalities related to heavy equip-

ment operation. Most of these accidents involve the operator, but over half involve people on the ground like

co-workers, laborers, inspectors and pedestrians. Because of the extreme forces involved, these accidents often

involve an ambulance and sometimes much worse, a coroner. Below are reminders about five hazardous condi-

tions where most accidents occur:

1. Getting on and off equipment is the #1 cause of injury to equipment operators, forklift drivers and

truck drivers. When exiting the machine, check for hazard conditions first and then lower yourself in a

controlled manner - never jump!

2. Loading, unloading and moving equipment - Even on level ground, there is a risk of machine

roll-over during loading or unloading. Allow enough room to maneuver the trailer and machine. Use a

spotter if needed but keep people away from the sides of the machine during loading and unloading.

3. People crowding the work area - Ask any operator what their biggest headache is and they will tell

you without hesitation - people on the ground near the machine. Foremen and operators need to enforce a

clear swing zone.

4. Overhead and buried obstructions – Check for both overhead obstructions and underground

utilities. Call Dig Safe and use caution even after utilities are marked, as locate errors are common. Be

prepared to carefully hand dig.

5. Backing - Reverse motion of any equipment is dangerous. Backup alarms can’t assure a clear back-

side. Operators need to positively assure that no one and nothing is behind them. Get out and look or use a

spotter.

Safety Focus

The heavy equipment produced today is the safest and most reliable ever made. To get the most out of these tools

and ensure worker safety, we each need to be safety supervisors and ensure the proper control and operation of all

heavy equipment on our projects.

Bow Lake Recycling and Transfer Station By: ryan Stevens

KLB Construction has been

busy this past year at Bow Lake. The

new transfer station facility opened

to the public in July 2012, which

was the start of the next Milestone

of the three year project. The exist-

ing facility was demolished immedi-

ately after the new facility opened.

KLB started the mass excavation of

refuse, import of gravel borrow, and

continued TESC maintenance on

the 19 acre site. Since the demoli-

tion of the existing building over

64,000 tons of refuse has been

hauled off. Over 170,000 tons of

gravel borrow has been imported in

place of the refuse and for preload and

embankment.

Currently, crews are removing preload

and installing the remaining 3000 lf of water,

storm and sewer pipe in preparation for final

paving scheduled for late summer and project

completion in September 2013. We’d like to

thank the hard working crew members and

truck drivers that have kept this project

moving safely and efficiently.

Trailer yard preload removal

MELLEN STREET Centralia

JOBSITE FACTS

496,000 tons of Special Borrow

Imported (2 shifts up to 50 trucks)

Nearly 310,000 cy of embankment

compaction

Rebuilt 9500 lf of county road

6102 lf of bypass and storm pipe

165 lf of 84” concrete culvert

(pictured to left)

400 lf of stream restoration and mitigation at China Creek

During construction of a Fish Window - KLB placed nearly 19,000 tons of Rip

Rap for two lanes of I-5 built above water.

June 2012 work began - scheduled to be complete Spring 2013!

Thank you to the hard working foreman, crewmembers, drivers and engineers

who were apart of the Mellen Street project. A special thanks to the travelling

pipe crews who spent hours on this mostly double shifting project.

www.klbconstruction.com

KLB Photo Contest (continues)

We are always looking for great jobsite photos! If you happen to

snap a great shot on your phone or pocket camera please consider

entering it into our Photo Contest! Jobsites, People, Equip-

ment….all three - the possibilities are endless.

Winner gets some KLB Swag (ie: KLB Logo Gear!) RULES

Email photo to info@klbconstruction.com OR text the photo to 206-255-0846

Include your NAME and PROJECT NAME

Monthly winners until further notice

KLB now proudly offers online education

from office productivity to field safety. Zak Collins is

leading the charge by creating a variety of courses

focused on Safety training. Need to brush up on using

the best safe practices for Trenching and Excavation?

It’s there. Haven’t seen KLB’s safety video in a

while? It’s there. Want to test your knowledge? Take

a quiz after reviewing course material. In Zak’s

words “the training modules provide a solid foun-

dation of safety knowledge and awareness to help

protect all personnel and enhance our KLB safety

culture.” Initially these courses are limited to

employees with klbconstruction.com email addresses

but will soon expand to all employees.

Check out one of our first

Photo Contest Winners,

Anthony Orsillo! Great picture that

captures a piece of what we do at KLB.

No caption needed.

Keep the photos coming!!!

ANNUAL SAFETY MEETING

SAVE THE DATE

WHEN: APRIL 27TH @ 8AM WHERE: KLB MAIN OFFICE SHOP *AWARDS, INFORMATION, AND FOOD