CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Members of Resident Officer in Charge of Construction Florence Camp Lejeune were able to celebrate the holiday’s a little early with the recent completion of P-1505, the replacement project for two railroad trestles at Queens Creek and White Oak River, as well as the replacement of all railroad ties along the 34 mile line between Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.
The original trestles received damage during Hurricane Florence in 2018. A restoration assessment and structural analysis recommended replacement due to numerous signs of structural decay.
Contractor of record, Archer Western of the Walsh Group, started the project with the construction of temporary trestles to access the entire work area with equipment necessary to construct the permanent trestles. Once in place, work began to safely demolish and remove the existing structures. The team was then able to begin driving piles.
“What was most impressive was watching the crane operators work with the teams on the ground to drive pile after pile and conduct concrete placements via suspended delivery,” said supervisory construction manager US Navy Lt Will Cornett.
Tito Purcell, engineering technician for Officer in Charge of Construction (OICC) Florence, enjoyed the challenge of learning about all details behind railroad system construction.
“This project was the first of its kind to me. This was the first time I had to deal with railroad tracks and pile driving of this magnitude,” said Purcell. “I have dealt with bridging previously while I was in the Marine Corps, but not to the level this project was done.”
Purcell gave kudos to the government-contractor team for helping him accelerate through the learning curve.
“The team was always willing to teach me new things as the project went along,” said Purcell.
Maggie Rodriguez, construction manager for OICC Florence, echoed Purcell’s gratitude.
“When I joined the project team, it felt like I was learning a new language,” said Rodriguez. “Everyone was more than willing to explain terms to me and get me up to speed.”
In turn, Rodriguez was able to keep momentum going on the project, handling RFI and submittal processing, coordinating inspections and meetings between shareholders, and communicating with the prime contractor about job progress and schedule.
“The project team was aggressive in managing their schedule and beat every project milestone ahead of time,” added Cornett.
Members from the project team are eager to file the paperwork and focus on the other project in package 4 – P1387, the Onslow Beach bridge aboard MCB Camp Lejeune. Beach goers and Marines accessing training areas along the shoreline will be able to use the new Onslow Beach bridge in Fall 2024.
OICC Florence provides world-class engineering, construction, and acquisition services supporting the Marine Corps’ recovery from Hurricane Florence and deployment of the Joint Strike Fighter, re-establishing the readiness of expeditionary forces for MCIEAST and II Marine Expeditionary Force.