As the new $400-million Gaylord Opryland Texas starts to rise from the ground, the secret to construction success lies in the fine-tuned orchestration of contractors and equipment. The Grapevine, TX, facility will be a major convention center/entertainment and hotel complex, and a major undertaking. The primary contractor is Dallas-based Centex Construction Company and its vice president of operations, Bob Gist. “Of course, the real key to getting a mammoth project like this off to a fast start is having a well thought-out plan and good coordination with quality subcontractors who are efficient in their operations and utilize their equipment for maximum output,” Gist said. Amenities and Design Gaylord Opryland Texas, built and owned by Gaylord Entertainment Company, will be one of the region’s largest convention-hotel-entertainment centers. Conveniently located just eight minutes away from DFW Airport on 77 acres by Lake Grapevine, it will be surrounded by an 18-hole golf course. The complex will include a 1,500-room hotel; 400,000-sq.-ft (37,161 sq m) meeting and exhibition space; two ballrooms totaling 85,000 sq. ft. (7896 sq m), five restaurants, two swimming pools, a full-service spa, recreational areas, and four acres of outdoor vistas. The entire climate-controlled complex will be under a series of glass skylights, the largest of which will be more than 2 acres (.8 ha).The glass dome is the signature of Gaylord hotels. Gaylord Opryland’s Texas theme will feature a rendition of the San Antonio Riverwalk, the Rio Grande River, showcase gardens, waterscapes and the Texas Hill Country with rolling plains and canyons. Hnedak Bobo Group of Memphis, TN, is the architect and Wilson & Associates of Dallas serves as the interior designer. The Clearing Phase Because half of the 77-acre tract belongs to the Corps, there were many details that had to be worked out between that agency and Centex. These included flowage easements for Lake Grapevine where all “cut and fill” operations had to net out at a zero cu. yd. increase/decrease. “In other words, if you dug a hole in one location, you had to build a mountain somewhere else within the easement,” said Gist. In addition, a temporary access bridge consisting of more than 3,000 tons (2,700 t) of stone and blacktop had to be built over 9 ft. of water on Corps property. To fulfill Grapevine neighborhood beautification requirements, Gaylord Entertainment agreed to restore and plant new trees around other areas of the lake. New, lush landscaping throughout the entire project was also part of this agreement. The initial phase of land clearing covered 57 moderately tree-covered acres (23 ha). Rodman Excavating, the excavation and utility contractor, completed this segment in four weeks. The company used a Diamond Z 1460 tub grinder to mulch site vegetation after clearing. Excavation With engineering and layout work done, Rodman mobilized a small army of equipment in preparation for subsequent parts of the job. “Rodman Excavating did an excellent job of utilizing equipment to efficiently stay on or ahead of schedule,” said Gist. “We knew what Centex wanted from the start and we jointly developed our plan of attack with the right equipment and supervision to stay well in front of their follow on concrete operations,” said Rod Vilhauer, president and co-owner of Rodman Excavating. Rodman used 40 pieces of machinery worth more than $10 million for clearing and excavation. Cut and fill operations were expected to move 300,000 cu. yd. (229,368 cu m) of dirt in six weeks. Often, upwards of 75 trucks onsite were hauling 7,500 to 10,000 cu. yds. (5734 to 7645 cu m) of dirt a day. Then, Centex and Rodman encountered a thick layer of rock while digging foundations. Rodman used a Vermeer wheel saw and Cat hoe rams to cut it away. The extracted material was processed by a rock crusher and recycled into the project as temporary access roads and crane pads. Equipment used for mass and foundation excavations included a Cat 365, Komatsu 600, three Kobelco 400s, and two Cat 330 hoe rams. Grading work employed Cat D9, D10 and 9L DS dozers. Cat 12G and 14G motorgraders also were used. A Deere 850 and a fleet of Cat track loaders were gathered for cleanup. Following the excavation, Morrow Cranes of Houston erected six tower cranes to supplement Centex’s concrete operations. They included six Liebherr 420s, one with vertical reach of 267 ft. (81.3 m). Conventional cranes included two Link-Belt LB 243s, with upward reach of 120 ft. (36.5 m) and horizontal reach of 160 ft. (48.7 m). The entire Gaylord Opryland Texas project is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2004. For more information, visit www.gaylordoprylandtexas.com. CEGThis story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.
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