General Excavating - Communications Services

Project:
Sprint #K5366850
Placement of Fiber Cable
Omaha, NE to Council Bluffs, IA

Owner/Client:
Sprint
903 East 104th Street
Kansas City, MO 64114

Contact:
Larry Schneidmiller
Senior Network Engineer
Sprint Communications
(303) 789-4836

Project Scope:
Fiber Optic Cable Pulled - 47,000 Ft
3" Poly Duct Placed - 40,000 Ft
4" Blacksteel Pipe Placed - 230 Ft
1" Inner Duct Pulled - 97,500 Ft Pull Boxes - 40 Ea
4" Fiberglass Duct - 1,700 Ft
Route Marker Signs - 600 Ea

Work Description:
Placed nine miles of new fiber optic cable through existing metropolitan areas and railroad right away. Placement of 3" conduit in new areas, rod and clean existing conduit and pull new fiber in the duct. Place pull boxes at intervals of 2,500'.

Method of Construction:
Directional boring and trenching were utilized for the placement of the 3 inch conduit. The alley ways and landscaped areas were bored to minimize the clean-up costs and property owner complaints. Boring of these areas paid off for a good quality project. Areas along the railroad tracks were trenched, where open areas allowed. Steel pipe was placed under track crossings to meet Union Pacific requirements. The fiber cable was pulled into the duct by General Excavating's forces, with the help of hydraulic pullers and wheel driven assist pullers. Final splicing of the cable was completed by Sprint.

River Crossing:
The most challenging portion of the project was the placement of 1,700 LF of 4" fiberglass conduit on the underside of the Interstate 480 bridge over the Missouri River. Conduit was hung on brackets connected to the existing catwalk under the bridge deck. The catwalk hung 10 ft to 80 ft above the ground and water. Supported by safety harnesses, the crew hung the brackets by punching holes in the catwalk support angle and bolting the new roller bracket in place. The 4" conduit was hand-carried the length of the bridge for placement. Expansion joints were placed at the bridge piers to handle the 21" movement in the bridge through the change of seasons.

Conclusion:
The project was completed without accidents or safety problems. Completion was ahead of schedule and under budget.

Project Management:
Vice-President: Joe D'Amico
Project Manager/Estimator: Lynn Siedschlag
Superintendent: John Kooistra
Bore Foreman: Jim Oldfield, Yancey Keiser
Bridge Foreman: Kevin Thiemann

Residential area Fiber-optic cable placement
with directional boring. Council Bluffs, IA