Rise of Rebar, Part 3: Rodbusters building projects across North America

From IW’s The Ironworker magazine –

Note: Most of the August edition of The Ironworker magazine is devoted to the current boom in steel reinforcing jobs across North America. It is filled with profiles of major projects underway across the continent, where rodbusters are at work, building vast facilities.

Today we post the third and final installment of several articles from this August 2024 edition of The Ironworker, on the Suncoast Reinforcing LLC blog. The Ironworker is an official publication of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, AFL-CIO (IW).

We hope you enjoy our sharing of this excellent coverage of rodbuster work in the news.

Steel Strong – The Rise of Rebar

LOCAL 721 AT THE BURNSIDE BRIDGE PROJECT

Local 721, based in Toronto, Ontario, collaborated with two signatory companies, Salit Steel Installation (SRI) and J.K.L.M. Enterprise Inc., to successfully complete a bridge project at Burnside Line/West Street North over Highway 11 in the Township of Severn, County of Simcoe, Orillia.

The innovative aspect of this project was the use of glass fiber reinforced poly (GFRP) material for construction, a testament to modern engineering techniques.

Salit Steel Installation (SRI) partnered with MST Rebar Inc. to supply and transport the GFRP to the site. Salit Steel, with a longstanding presence in Ontario since the mid-1960s, served as the reinforcing contractor for the project. The general contractor responsible for overseeing the entirety of the project was Green Infrastructure Partners, based in Toronto.

Owner Michael Spina of J.K.L.M. Enterprise Inc., a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in rebar placement in Ontario, was contracted by SRI due to his expertise, especially pertinent given the challenging northern climate of the project site.

The decision to utilize GFRP for the bridge construction was strategic, considering the harsh conditions of salt exposure and extreme cold weather. GFRP offers noncorrosive properties, superior tensile strength and high mechanical performance, ensuring longevity and durability in adverse environments.

Despite initial delays due to inclement weather, the project commenced in late 2022, with the foundation completed during this phase. The main construction phase took place in April 2023, with the span of the bridge measured at 64 meters, extending from abutment to abutment.

Bridge construction, inherently complex, progressed through various stages, including footings and piers, pier caps, abutments and wing walls, bridge deck, sidewalks and parapet walls, each requiring meticulous attention to detail and coordination.

Owner Michael Spina, alongside his dedicated team comprising of foreman Glen Alexander, journeymen Tom McCartney, Kody Spina and Bob Alexander, worked tirelessly from April to October 2023 to ensure project completion.

The professionalism and dedication of the reinforcing ironworkers, notably recognized by the on-site foreman from Green Infrastructure Partners, played a pivotal role in maintaining project timelines and budgets without any lost-time injuries.

T & S REINFORCING AT THE WEST DAVIS CORRIDOR EXPANSION

West Davis is a new 16-mile, four-lane divided highway constructed in western Davis County, Utah.

West Davis includes over 10 miles of new trail and new trail connections to create a consolidated system connecting Emigration Trail to Legacy Parkway Trail.