In 2016, Reliable Contracting won the contract consisting of completing sitework for the proposed site of Hampton Inn’s new location on Eastern Avenue in Downtown Baltimore City. By September, our crews arrived on site to begin work. This particular project required a lot of creative problem solving and innovation to make it to completion.
From the beginning, the site had to be converted from a homeless encampment to a safe and suitable construction site. Baltimore City officials worked to transfer the people living at the site into local shelters, while a hazmat team was called in to remove the biohazardous material from its former occupants. Once the site was deemed clear and safe, the real heavy lifting began.
While appearing clear on the surface, the real obstacles were hidden beneath the soil. Large swaths of abandoned road sections, railroad debris, unsuitable soils, and unmarked utilities were only a portion of the hazards the sitework crew had to work around. Our sitework professionals also had to adapt water and sewer force mains into the city system, carving into two-and-a-half-feet-thick concrete.
After large pieces of debris were removed, we encountered another hurdle: old timber road bridging and supports lying just beneath the newly excavated area. The sitework crew removed the old debris and installed new stone bridge lifts to ensure the area was suitable for future construction. Despite these challenges, Reliable was not only able to finish our portion of the project on time, but also without any safety incidents.
Throughout the process of completing this project, Reliable utilized various pieces of technology to ensure that everything continued to move along according to plan. Foremen were equipped with iPads which they could log and monitor job progress, material orders, and cost analyses. This information could be shared with management, who were able to view up-to-date figures, progress photos, and reports in real time. By implementing the use of this technology, Reliable was able to foresee schedule changes, obstructions, and delays and work around them to ensure on-time completion of the project.
In September 2019, Reliable was awarded ABC Chesapeake Shores’ STEP Platinum Award and Excellence in Construction Award for the innovative work and commitment to safety throughout the duration of the Hampton Inn Bayview sitework project. The STEP Award is given to contractors who make considerable efforts to improve their safety and training practices, which underscores Reliable’s long-standing dedication to excellence in this field. The Excellence in Construction Award was bestowed based on the innovative technologies and programs used for scheduling, productivity, and quality control, as well as the challenges faced during the project.
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