Tim served as the Western Reaches Project Manager where he was responsible to manage twenty-five direct reports and numerous subcontractors. He led the project from Venice, LA near the construction area of the western barrier berms. The project took approximately eight months to complete with a budget of $240M.
Scope of Work
Project organization and mobilization
The project was organized with a leadership team established at task order award on June 1, 2010. A work breakdown structure, integrated master schedule, and material acquisition schedule were created to direct team efforts in a timely mobilization.
Engineering
Engineering activities started with project organization and will continue through project closeout. Most engineering efforts are focused in permitting and surveying activities in support of construction activities. The Emergency Permit MVN 2010-1066-ETT for the development of sand berms along the Louisiana coast is “conditioned” upon compliance with 2 “Provisions” and 33 “Special Conditions”, including compliance with the Interim Monitoring Plan.
In addition to providing ongoing support to the USACE in their providing responses to the regulatory agencies, the Shaw Permitting Team is preparing “Compliance Packets” for each project area (Borrow Site, Re-Handling Area, Pipeline Corridor, Berm Alignment) of the ongoing Emergency Action. In advance of any work commencing in any project area, the Compliance Packet for that specific area (containing the permit drawings and the results of cultural and contaminant sampling) is submitted to and approved by the USACE. The project areas for the Emergency Action are defined below:
East of the Mississippi River (Reaches E3 and E4)
- Borrow Areas:
- Hewes Point (Areas CH-A, CH-B, and HD-A)
- St. Bernard Shoal
- Re-Handling Areas:
- RH-1
- RH-2
- RH-3
- Pipeline Corridors:
- From Hewes Point to Reach E4
- From RH-1 to Reach E4
- From RH-2 to Reach E4
- From RH-3 to Reaches E3 and E4
West of the Mississippi River (Reaches W8, W9, W10, and W11)
- Borrow Areas:
- Cubit’s Gap (Mississippi River)
- PAL (Mississippi River)
- Re-Handling Areas:
- 35-E
- 25-5
- Pipeline Corridors:
- From 35-E to Reaches W8 and W9
- From 25-5 to Reaches W10 and W11
The following elements comprise the permit requirements:
- Approved Monitoring Plan
- Executed NOD-20 (Emergency Permit)
- Department of Interior Permit
- Berm Footprint Clearance
- Topographic Survey
- Bird Nesting Survey
- ROW (State Waters)
- Louisiana One Call
- Oyster Lease Clearance
- Submerged dredge pipeline alignments
- Berm construction alignments
- Cross sections with template cut/fill volumes on 500 feet centers
- Borrow and Re-handling Area Clearances
- Geophysical Survey
- –Bathymetric Survey
- –Magnetometer Survey (existing utility pipelines)
- –Cultural Resources Survey
- –Contamination Survey
- –State Historic Preservation Office Approval
- Materials Management Service Approval (Federal Waters)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Approval (Federal Waters)
- Geophysical Survey
Procurement
The Procurement execution plan was developed from the material acquisition schedule as part of an integrated team effort between procurement and construction of the Barrier Berms for the OCPR in the Gulf waters of Louisiana. The procurement effort was focused on the most expeditious method for obtaining the required equipment, materials and/or services within budgetary constraints that meets OCPR’s and Shaw E&I’s design and quality standards. The procurement standards and specifications outline methods to facilitate a uniform approach to project procurement responsibilities and functions. Procurements will be executed in compliance with Shaw E&I standard procurement procedures.
Construction
The project location has been divided into east and west regions that will be worked independently.
Eastern Site Sequence
The eastern reaches E4 and E3 will be worked in that order using a combination of cutterhead and hopper dredges. There will be two phases of construction for these reaches: the first phase is “E4 North.” Work will commence with cutterhead dredging of the borrow area at Hewes Point to the North of the Chandelier islands. Cutting operations will proceed northward through this borrow area following clearance of utility and cultural resource issues in the Hewes Point borrow area. The Emergency Permit requires that this cutting not impact the 2004 Chandelier Island footprint (Pre-Katrina). The cutterhead will direct-place the material at the north-most starting point for the E4 reach (30°01’11” N,88°50’09” W), via a 5,000 feet long discharge line initially. This pipeline will increase as needed as the berm construction advances to the south toward E4 South.
The second phase will include two headings and two stages. This phase will lag the start of the previous phase by several weeks as equipment becomes available and permits are approved. The phase will utilize a combination process with up to four hopper dredges loading at Hewes Point and depositing two “re-handling” areas (stockpiles) just offshore of the E3 reach. This applies only to St Bernard shoals located in federal waters – RH2 and RH3 are in state waters. Two cutterhead dredges will then convey this material from the re-handling areas to the berm alignment via submerged and onshore pipelines in the two stages. The first stage is E4 South, and the second stage is E3.
Onshore activities for both phases will include incremental advancement of pipeline and the construction of parallel “training” dikes to contain and align the slurry discharge as it advances to the south. The dikes will be constructed with marsh buggies excavators and large high track low ground pressure bulldozers working in shallow water. Tender boats will relocate submerged and floating portions of this pipeline as the berm advances south. Current production goals are to average 500 feet of berm per workday working seven days per week. The anticipated duration is approximately 115 calendar days with 15 lost days for weather included.
Western Site Sequence
The western reaches, W8, W9, W10, and W11 will be worked in two independent phases,
“W9/W8” and “W10/W11,” the first starting several weeks before the other. Sand supply will be accomplished using cutterhead dredges in PAL to fill ocean-going scows propelled by tugboats, as well as by hopper dredges loading in Cubit’s gap. The loaded hoppers and scows will deposit in the re-handling areas 35E and 25-5 offshore of their respective berms. Two additional cutterheads at these re-handling areas will then convey this material directly to the berm locations via submerged and onshore pipelines.
Vessel logistics will be coordinated by the site Project Managers using their Construction Management Team and specific management practices. Scow/Tug tracking and coordination will be the responsibility of the site-specific Construction Manager who will use the Science Applications International Corporation system. This internet-based observation system reports real-time vessel location and performance data to the remote user via onboard GPS and computer interfaces for logistical decision making to ensure uniform traffic flow and even distribution of deposited loads at re-handling areas.
All PAL operations will be reported to the Dredging Manager of the USACE NOD, Mr. Chuck Freeman. Shaw will hold a kickoff meeting with the USACE team to review intended operations and needed deliverables for the loading work at PAL. The USACE NOD has active hopper disposal operations in place with the Wheeler and Newport dredges that must not be impeded. The site Project Manager and Construction Manager will ensure that Shaw operations do not impede USACE operations in this or other areas. Each week Shaw will report the cut progress of each dredge operating in PAL and coordinate daily with the Dredging Manager as needed.
Onshore activity will be managed by the site Construction Manager to ensure compliance with all aspects of the emergency and final permit, as well as the approved Monitoring Plan. Shaw’s utility coordinator will ensure that onshore activity is coordinated with appropriate regulatory agencies and utility owners. All pipeline crossings will be approved by their respective owners prior to equipment crossing or constructing work over their lines. A pipeline coordination report is attached.
Daily safety and plan-of-the-day meetings will be held at the Venice operations office to ensure broad distribution of priorities and plans.
Project Management
Overall project management was setup through the Shaw program manager as the single point of contact with authority and responsibility for project execution. Under this structure an operations manager and business manager were identified and deployed. Operations manager was responsible and accountable for all field operations personnel including, safety, quality, and subcontractor supervision and oversight. The business manager is responsible for all procurement, accounting and project controls functions of the project.
Project management costs include all direct costs and indirect costs not attributable to an individual berm. This included field office and equipment associated with the office, equipment, and support labor to the project including project managers, accounting, project controls, and procurement staff.