The National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) recently awarded Cleary Construction of Thompkinsville, Kentucky, its “Overall Top Jobs” award for an underground sanitary sewer project constructed for Bowling Green Municipal Utilities.
“NUCA’s ‘Top Jobs’ award is the top recognition by members of an industry known for its complex construction projects,” says Doug Carlson, CEO of NUCA. “Cleary Construction’s excellence in construction for the Bowling Green utility system was recognized by our members, who build their own difficult projects, as a unique challenge this company and its employees overcame.”
The project, titled the “Veterans Memorial Force Main Project,” located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, consisted of excavating or tunneling to place 30,000 linear feet of 24-inch pipe, 2,000 linear feet of 16-inch pipe, 1,500 linear feet of 36-inch and 30-inch pipe, and various vaults and system tie-ins. The sanitary sewer project also required an oxygen injection system to be constructed by Cleary.
The company worked diligently for over a year excavating underneath roads, city streets, highways, streams, railroad right-of-way, fields, and local business fronts. Much of the underground work consisted of removing or tunneling through solid limestone, posing a challenge to Cleary and its subcontractors.
The company’s investment in a massive T1460 Trencor rock trencher used for 30,000 linear feet of the project avoided the need to use explosives for blasting the rock apart. And for other sections, the company and subcontractors used modern high-tech trenchless tunneling equipment for highway, railroad, and stream crossings. Jack and bore tunneling methods were used throughout the work.
The project also faced weather conditions affecting the delivery schedule, as 2020 was a wetter-than-average year in the region. Cleary through its careful planning, attention to safety, and use of the right equipment met the project deadlines with room to spare.
The “Overall Top Jobs” award is presented annually to a NUCA contractor member who submits an application highlighting a project in one of 10 categories. NUCA's “Top Jobs” competition recognizes challenging, innovative, or unique projects completed with excellent results. Attendees at the NUCA annual meeting select by ballot their top choices in each category, and the final “Overall Top Jobs” winner after the first round of category winners is chosen.
The 2021 award was presented to Cleary Construction executives by NUCA leadership at the annual meeting held in March in San Antonio, Texas.
About The National Utility Contractors Association
Founded in 1964, the National Utility Contractors Association represents over 1,800 U.S. utility and excavation contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers who provide the materials and workforce to build and maintain our nation’s intricate network of water, sewer, gas, telecommunications, and electric infrastructure. Visit www.nuca.com.
