By Richard Rybka

Creating new facilities to replace aging and outdated ones usually means working adjacent to geographic features and developed areas that limit access and add complications. These types of projects force a contractor to rely on his expertise and develop new strategies to overcome problems as they are encountered.

Branson, MO, has attracted travelers since the 1800s. Over the years, the pristine waters of Lake Taneycomo and the natural beauty of the Ozark Mountains have led fishermen and sightseers to this area. Today, Branson is one of America’s premier vacation travel destinations.

Originally, the White River flowed through the Branson area. In 1913, a power dam was built downstream, raising the water level and creating Lake Taneycomo. In 1958, Table Rock Lake was constructed upstream. Rock cliffs rise up on the southeastern side of the lake. A low floodplain remains on the northeastern side.

Branson’s downtown area extends to the shoreline of Lake Taneycomo. Railroad tracks following the water’s edge separate the historic town core from the lakefront area. As the town developed, recreational facilities were built along the river frontage. This area became the site for a city park, a municipal ball field, marinas, and campgrounds.

everal years ago, a major redevelopment of this lakefront area was proposed. A total of 95 acres with 1.5 miles of shoreline was acquired by HCW Development. The plans for Branson Landing include an extensive convention center, two hotels, a marina, Bass Pro Shops, waterfront condominiums, and a spectacular $9 million dollar fountain. Construction of the project finally began this spring, and is scheduled for completion in April 2006.

The Contractor
Tom Boyce founded his site work company in 1989. The company is located in Branson, but has traveled to Kansas, Tennessee, Arizona, and Arkansas to complete out-of-state projects for local clients. Over the years, Tom Boyce Excavating has grown to employ 65 people, including five project superintendents. Scott Klempel, vice president, and Travis McKenzie, estimator, work with Tom in managing the large number of projects the company completes each year. The company’s current workload includes four subdivisions, two townhouse/condominium sites, two tourist attraction sites, and a site prep/road improvements project 10 miles south of Branson at Big Cedar Wilderness Club.

Boyce realizes that maintaining this workload and pace requires tight organization and intelligent management. He hired Travis McKenzie earlier this year because of his experience with civil engineering firms. McKenzie’s responsibilities include estimating and overseeing layout for field operations. He is also involved in figuring the quantities and costs for change orders as they occur. Tom Boyce frequently offers suggestions to improve the way a project is constructed. As Travis McKenzie puts it, “There are too many unforeseen things underground that you just can’t anticipate. When we get in the field, there are things that will work better than what’s on paper.”

Site Challenges and Creative Solutions
Phase One of Branson Landing is located on a 35-acre portion of the total development tract. Site preparation for Phase One began in July 2004. The Killian/Turner joint venture team, of Springfield and Kansas City, MO, is general contractor for the entire project. Tom Boyce Excavating has been awarded the site work and utility subcontracts for Phase One that include demolition, mass grading for building pads, construction of 1,450 feet of utilities, 2,480 feet of 30-inch and 60-inch storm drainage pipe, 3,200 feet of perforated drain pipe, rock stabilization for extensive retaining walls, and curb/base for a contractor staging area.

Demolition of existing roadways, utilities, sidewalks, a municipal pool and baseball field, docks, and several buildings was the first construction task. After demolition was completed, Boyce prepared for filling operations. Topsoil was stripped from the site and stockpiled. To elevate the finished floor levels of the buildings above lake flood levels, approximately 300,000 cubic yards of imported fill material were required.

Photo: Tom Boyce

The exposed subgrade was inspected by the geotechnical engineers. The subgrade soils were too silty and organic—typical of soils found in river floodplains—to serve as a firm base. Nearly 100,000 cubic yards of unsuitable material was stockpiled on the site for removal at a later date.

The engineering plans and specifications called for select earth fill. Boyce looked ahead to the upcoming winter months when continuous operations would have to be maintained to meet the time schedule. He knew that earth fill would become waterlogged and site access would be difficult, if not impossible. Strategically, Boyce requested permission to use rock fill in place of earth. This guaranteed a firm working surface for future operations in the winter months.

Branson’s street layout presented a huge obstacle to trucking large volumes of material into and out of the site. The main street leading to Branson Landing comes down a long hill, with moderately steep grades in some areas. It travels through the heart of the downtown area, with narrow streets, passenger vehicles, and heavy pedestrian traffic. Branson's popularity as a tourist attraction creates car-stopping congestion, especially during the summer months. To avoid these conflicts and expedite operations, Boyce planned his trucking operations for the night hours between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. when traffic was minimal.

Ultimate Control
Boyce’s business philosophy focuses on timely completion of projects. To reach this objective, Boyce constantly searches for ways to maintain control over his field operations. Prior to starting work on Branson Landing, the company decided to explore the advantages of GPS technology. Boyce is ultimately interested in GPS automated machine control systems for his grading equipment, but decided to purchase a Topcon HiPer Lite+ survey system to become better acquainted with the technology.

Local Topcon dealer, Ozark Laser and Shoring, helped Boyce understand equipment details so that he could make an informed decision. One feature that was particularly important to Boyce was Topcon’s GPS+ technology that enables access to Russian GLONASS satellites in addition to the US GPS satellites. It provides more available satellites and better sky distribution than GPS-only systems. There are two main advantages to GPS+ technology: Downtime due to insufficient satellite access is minimized, and horizontal/vertical accuracies are improved.

To make the most of his investment, Boyce wanted a construction survey system that could be used by several individuals on his crews. He chose Topcon’s FC-100 field computer and Pocket-3D software to work with the GPS+ system. Pocket-3D was designed specifically for field use by contractors and offers many functions that suit their needs. Boyce discovered that this software enabled his field crews to check grades, lay out storm drains and utilities, collect topographic surveys of areas, and calculate volumes of stockpiles and undercut areas.

Boyce finds that the GPS+ survey system gives him better control over his field operations and enables him to keep better track of his progress. It eliminates time spent waiting for survey crews to come to the site and set grade stakes. This was very important during the summer months when rock fill was being trucked in across the 35-acre site. Constant monitoring of fill depths by Boyce’s site personnel enabled targeted guidance of trucks to dumping locations. It eliminated reworking areas that were too high or remobilizing to areas that were too low.

Another challenge to Boyce’s skills arose this past fall when the owner added a service tunnel between the basements of two major buildings. This change meant lowering the depth and flattening the grade of the main storm sewer line that runs between the two buildings and discharges into Lake Taneycomo. When the pipe crew began excavating the trench, they encountered groundwater and muck. Placement of several lifts of rock and earth fills, separated by geotextile fabric (filter fabric), had to be placed to provide stable bedding for the pipe.

As the trench was excavated and dewatered, Boyce’s crews had to constantly monitor the depth of the bedding to ensure the correct grade. To enable placement of the pipe under the tunnel, the flowline grade was flattened to 0.2%. Working under the unfavorable conditions in the bottom of the trench, verifying grades with conventional survey instruments would have been time-consuming and difficult. Using the Hi Per Lite+ survey system, the crew simply took the rover to the bottom with them and easily checked elevations anywhere along the pipe.

GPS survey systems require access to a minimum of five satellites to reach a fixed position and maintain accuracy. Deep trenches with high sideslopes can be problematic for GPS-only survey systems because they can block access to some satellites. Access to more satellites virtually eliminates operational downtime while improving accuracy.

Projects like Branson Landing provide opportunities for a contractor to develop and implement creative operational strategies. Dealing with tough site conditions, seasonal weather changes, and accelerated time schedules create situations that compel a contractor to utilize new resources to remain productive and competitive.

Richard Rybka, an applications journalist with Topcon, has 30 years experience in site engineering, land development, and construction.

GEC - March/April 2005