The City of Fort Dodge has been working through a multi-year phased reconstruction of the 5th Avenue South corridor through the community. The reconstruction includes a streetscaping program which is being
implemented along with the reconstruction.
5th Avenue South is a major business corridor, heavily traveled by both cross town commuters, and business patrons. Maintaining access and through traffic throughout the construction process was essential.
Timing for completion of the 29th Street to 32nd Street section of the overall project was driven by a development agreement with a planned Kohls Department Store. The timeline was short, and Right-of-Way acquisition for the project needed to be completed quickly.
The corridor is also home to major MidAmerican Electric high voltage transmission lines, which the City of Fort Dodge is transitioning from an overhead to an underground facility.
Work on right-of-way acquisition began during the preliminary design phases of the project. Right-of-Way needs were immediately identified and meetings with property owners began as preliminary design work was being finalized.
The plans for construction included a 5 phase construction staging plan that allowed for a minimum of one lane of traffic in each direction during the construction project. Access to each business was maintained at all times.
McClure Engineering coordinated with MidAmerican for the placement of underground electrical facilities and above ground switchgear. Construction was coordinated to ensure completion of the required roadway components prior to the dates outlined in the development agreement with Kohl’s. The new streets and traffic signals were operational when the store opened for business in the fall of 2011.
The Interstate 35/80 and US Highway 6/Hickman Road interchange is expected to see further increases in traffic as development continues in and around the vicinity. Growth will have significant impact to the corridor and the already compromised operations at the interchange. There are concerns regarding adequate operation of the signalized ramp intersections.
Any improvements are limited without major reconstruction of the interstate bridges which would be very costly and require many years to fund, design, and construct. The existing bridges have many more years of useful life as indicated by their very high sufficiency ratings.
McClure Engineering Company has brought to the cities and the DOT, a cost effective solution that can be implemented in a short timeframe with limited funding sources. The next step in the process is to complete an Interchange Operations Report. The report will focus on a diverging diamond conceptual alternative and the operational and geometric aspects of the proposed interim and ultimate interchange forms.
Geometric objectives include eliminating the existing diamond configuration and determining an interim interchange configuration that does not require reconstruction of the interstate bridge. This will provide additional capacity and defer the replacement of the bridge until the bridge is near the end of its useful life.
Alternate interchange configurations will be examined by investigating the operational aspects of alternate interchange types, such as a standard diamond with enhanced/added lanes, partial cloverleaf, and a single point urban interchange.
Upon approval of the report and concurrence of the proposed interchange form, the next phase of the project will begin with design and construction.
The 2010 Brick Street Project has received the American Council of Engineering Companies of Iowa (ACEC) Grand Place Award for first place in the transportation category.
The award recognizes excellence in engineering. Projects are selected based on the best examples of engineering achievements using criteria such as uniqueness and originality, and technical, economic and social value.
“The Adel project reflects uniqueness because of the nature of rebuilding 100 year old brick streets reusing the existing brick coupled with modern methods of sub-structure and utility work.” said project engineer Jeff Schug of McClure Engineering Company.
With Adel’s reputation as a historic community which prides itself on having some of the only brick streets listed on the National Register of Historic Places, reusing the brick was a key element in designing and building the downtown streetscape project. Planning elements of the project included, preliminary design including street lights, pedestrian lights, trash receptacles, benches and kiosk.
Adel City Council member and Street Committee Chair Jon McAvoy said, “Not only are the brick historically valuable, but by reusing them we saved money and were environmentally responsible because we did not discard the old and purchase new brick. New brick would have cost about $350,000 more and we would have wasted all the old brick.”
The ACEC award is a unique honor for Adel and represents recognition of excellence in design and construction of a special approach to streetscape rehabilitation.
Washington DC – February 9, 2011 — After a series of taste-tests and examinations, the winner of the Great American Water Taste Test was announced on February 9 at the 2011 Rural Water Rally in Washington DC. Central Iowa Water Association (headquartered in Newton Iowa) won the Gold Medal award and title of the Best Tasting Water in the Nation!
Five finalists were selected by a preliminary panel of judges from entries across the United States. Each state holds a water taste test at their State conferences, and those winners are eligible for entry into the Great American Water Taste Test. Water samples are judged on clarity, bouquet, and taste.
Central Iowa Water Association provides water service to all or parts of 18 central-Iowa Counties. They provide water to 12,023 services and operate 4,663 miles of water pipeline. Their new water treatment plant was constructed just west of the City of Waverly Iowa from July of 2007 through July of 2009. The general contractor was EBSCO of Janesville Iowa. The reverse osmosis treatment equipment was provided by Harn R/O Systems of Venice Florida.
“It’s awesome,” said Jim LaPlant, CEO of the Central Iowa Water Association. “It caps off the success we’ve had with the early design, construction and completion of this treatment plant. It’s icing on the cake. It’s great for our customers, first and foremost, and for the whole organization. It’s a great honor.”
Water to the plant is supplied by two groundwater wells. Water quality tests indicate the water had low iron and ammonia levels, but high levels of hardness and nitrates. Nitrate levels in existing area wells are high and variable. This groundwater requires only minimal pre-treatment. Reverse osmosis membranes would be installed for nitrate removal.
McClure Engineering Company of Fort Dodge and Johnston Iowa prepared construction drawings and specifications from 2006 to 2007. McClure Engineering continued to provide engineering services throughout the construction period.
The new water treatment plant contains three reverse osmosis trains, expandable to 5 trains. Each train has the capacity of 1.78 million gallons per day. A ground storage tank with the capacity of 500,000 gallons follows the membrane units. Water is sent into the distribution systems by three high service pumps, each having a capacity of 2.4 million gallons per day.
The treated water reduced the hardness to 120 milligrams per liter (categorized as soft water) and the nitrate levels to 4 milligrams per liter (below the drinking water maximum allowable level of 10 milligrams per liter).
Tama – December 20, 2010 — The water treatment plant rehabilitation project for the City of Tama has been completed. New treatment equipment was placed in operation on October 20, 2010. Final completion of the Contract was achieved on November 20, 2010.
The existing water plant serving the City of Tama was constructed in 1985. Following a study of the plant’s condition and operation, replacement of the existing steel Aeralater was recommended. An Aeralater is a package treatment unit designed to remove iron and manganese from the raw water. The unit’s underdrains are severely corroded and experiencing loss of filter media. New treatment components had to be constructed in stages, while the existing plant remained in service. A new wing would be constructed on the existing building to house the new treatment equipment.
The City applied for a State Revolving Fund loan to pay for the rehabilitation of the plant. McClure Engineering Company was retained to provide design and construction engineering services for the rehabilitation. The project was bid in September 17, 2009. The construction contract was signed with Blazek Corporation of Lawler Iowa. A Preconstruction Conference was held and construction began on October 23, 2009.
The first phase of construction was the replacement of three high service pumps. Layne Christensen supplied the new turbine pumps. Each pump has a capacity of 650-gpm, at 230-feet of head, using 50-hp motors. New Watson Marlow chemical feed pumps were supplied through Vessco, who also supplied the new chlorine detection system.
Automatic Systems performed the control work.
The new building addition was constructed using cast-in-place concrete foundation walls and lower level slab. The upper walls were formed using ICF (insulated concrete forms) with a stucco finish. The walls are a total of 13-inches thick; 8-inches of concrete with 2-1/2-inches of insulation on each side. The new roof is a membrane roof system with parapet walls.
A new Aeralater was provided by Siemens / General Filter. The unit is manufactured from aluminum, is 21-foot in diameter, and is rated at 1,000 gpm. Following startup of new Aeralater, the existing unit was cut into sections and removed. The roof was closed in and replaced. Completed on schedule, the final construction cost was $1,014,672.
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Founded in 1956, McClure Engineering Company provides civil engineering services from offices in Fort Dodge, Iowa; Johnston, Iowa; North Liberty, Iowa; and Lake Ozark, Missouri.
Renwick – January 20, 2011 — The water treatment and storage project for the City of Renwick (Humboldt) County) Iowa has reached Substantial Completion.
The City has two water supply wells. Prior to the new construction project, water treatment for the City consisted of one ion-exchange softener and chemical feed systems for chlorine and sodium hydroxide. An engineering study examined the feasibility of rural water service or the construction of new treatment and storage equipment. Based upon the study recommendation, construction of a new plant was authorized.
The City received a CDBG grant and an IDNR State Revolving Fund loan to pay for the new plant. Mid-Iowa Council of Government’s (MIDAS) office in Ft. Dodge handled the financial arrangements for the City. McClure Engineering Company was retained to provide design and construction engineering services. The project was bid in December 7, 2009. The construction contract was signed with Story Construction Company of Ames Iowa. A Preconstruction Conference was held and construction began on February 5, 2010.
New water treatment equipment is housed in a single-story, masonry building, approximately 1,750 square feet. Interior rooms house electrical equipment and a LP-powered 60 kW emergency generator.
A ground storage tank from Engineering America was installed. Measuring 20-foot in diameter, the glass-lined steel tank holds approximately 64,000 gallons.
A new Dualator manufactured by Tonka Equipment will provide aeration and iron / manganese removal. The unit is manufactured from aluminum, is 8-foot in diameter, and is rated at 100 gpm. Two end-suction, vertical-alignment, low- service pumps transfer the filtered water through the softeners and into the ground storage tank. Each pump has a capacity of 100-gpm, at 31-feet of head, using 1.5-hp motors. These pumps were manufactured by Aurora Pump.
Two softeners and two Brinemaker tanks were provided by Tonka Equipment. Two high service pumps are installed to transfer the finished water from the ground storage tank to the City’s elevated tower and distribution system. Each pump has a capacity of 260-gpm, at 102-feet of head, using 10-hp motors. These pumps were manufactured by Aurora Pump.
New Watson Marlow chemical feed pumps were supplied for the liquid chlorine, fluoride, and sodium hydroxide feed systems.
Completed 2 months ahead of schedule, the final construction cost was $1,170,036.
Construction has commenced on the City of Fort Dodge’s Wastewater Pollution Control Facility Rehabilitation Project. This project is the second of two phases of modifications designed by McClure Engineering Company (MEC) to provide capacity expansion and rehabilitation to the City’s existing treatment facility. This specific phase of work consists of major rehabilitation work to the headworks and primary treatment systems, construction of a new UV disinfection system, new anaerobic digester covers, new anaerobic digester heating and mixing system, and new back-up power generator.
Headworks improvements include a new Screening Building with two (2) mechanical step screens, two (2) vortex grit removal units, grit washing and dewatering system, raw wastewater influent metering flume, and ancillary instrumentation and control equipment. Primary treatment improvements include construction of two (2) 90-ft diameter primary clarifiers and Primary Sludge Pump Building. Effluent treatment improvements include construction of a new Final Effluent Metering, UV Disinfection, and Final Effluent Pumping Structure that allows the City to meet their newly imposed E.coli effluent limits.
Completion of construction is anticipated by the summer of 2011. At the completion of MEC’s designed improvements, the WPCF will have the ability to handle 12.0 MGD through primary treatment and 15.0 MGD through secondary treatment. The construction cost for this second phase of work is $15,570,000. The general contractor is Woodruff Construction.
Rathbun Regional Water Association provides potable water for (9) nine
counties in southeastern Iowa and (4) four counties in northeastern
Missouri. Water demands are expected to increase from a current demand
of 7.5 mgd to between 13 and 16 mgd by the year 2035. RRWA has retained
the services of McClure Engineering Company to assist in planning,
design, and construction of additional supply and treatment capacity.
A “Plant Siting Report” was completed in September of 2006. A site
adjoining the existing water treatment plant south of Lake Rathbun was
selected for construction of a new treatment facility.
A “Preliminary Engineering Report” was prepared in
April of 2007. This engineering effort examined a new lake intake, raw
transmission mains, and upgrading an existing water treatment plant
and/or constructing a separate new plant. The report includes cost
estimates for all alternates and varying flow rates of those
alternatives.
A “Design Brief” report was prepared in November of
2007. This final design report detailed the concepts and design
parameters for a new caisson-type intake structure and a new
conventional, surface water treatment plant.
Final design efforts began in December of 2007. The
project was divided into 4 distinct parts. The first is the
construction of a new caisson-type intake structure, complete with
intake piping and screens, at the south edge of Lake Rathbun. The new
intake structure will have the capacity of 17.5 mgd. The second part is
the construction of dual 20-inch diameter raw water transmission mains
from the caisson to the new water treatment plant site, approximately
6,000 feet.
The third part is the design and construction of a
new conventional water treatment plant with an initial capacity of 6
mgd with expansion possible to 12 mgd. The treatment plant features
dual Super Pulsating clarifiers, Centrol variable declining rate
filters with carbon media, a clearwell and new high service pumps. The
fourth portion of the project is the caisson superstructure and pumping
facilities. 4 submersible turbine pumps will be able to provide up to
17.5 mgd of raw water to both the existing and new water treatment
plant.
The overall construction cost is expected to range
from 28 to 30 million dollars. Project financing will come from loans
through the State’s Revolving Fund and local funds. Additional funding
sources being explored include monies from USDA Rural Development and
new Stimulus funding.
North Liberty, Iowa - (May 1, 2007) - McClure Engineering Company (MEC) of North Liberty, Iowa recently received unanimous approval from the City of North Liberty for Highway 965 Improvement project.
LAKE OZARK, MISSOURI - (May 1, 2007) - McClure Engineering Company (MEC) of Lake Ozark, Missouri has been retained for one of the largest commercial and residential projects in the Lake of the Ozarks since the development of Porto Cima and the Villages on Shawnee Bend.
This approximate 800 acre development being undertaken by four separate developers is the largest ever to occur in the City of Lake Ozark.
JOHNSTON, Iowa - (May 1, 2007) - McClure Engineering Company (MEC) of Johnston is nearing project completion for the recently reconstructed NW 70th Ave. NW 70th Avenue was upgraded from a two-lane, rural road to a four-lane facility with the addition of signals and turning lanes.
Construction has commenced on the City of Fort Dodge’s Wastewater Pollution Control Facility Rehabilitation Project. This project is the second of two phases of modifications designed by McClure Engineering Company (MEC) to provide capacity expansion and rehabilitation to the City’s existing treatment facility. This specific phase of work consists of major rehabilitation work to the headworks and primary treatment systems, construction of a new UV disinfection system, new anaerobic digester covers, new anaerobic digester heating and mixing system, and new back-up power generator.
