Strack Inc. is putting the finishing touches on a $7 million pipe-laying job in Austell, GA, and the company couldn’t get the job done without Komatsu excavators. The project consists of placing underground utilities, laying sewer and water lines and placing storm drainage systems. Strack is a subcontractor for Bankhead-Driggs, a joint venture that is currently clearing land at the 400-acre (161.9 ha) project off Highway 278 in Austell. After land clearing and roadway construction is complete, a new intermodal facility will be built for Norfolk & Southern Railroad for a rail to truck transfer station. Strack started the job in November of 1999 and has been working one crew continuously and has had up to five crews working at one time at the peak of the project work. The pipe work is about 95 percent complete. Strack’s portion of the work will be complete in November. In order to keep pace with its tight schedule, Strack brought in two Komatsu PC750s for mass excavation, as some of the cuts needed to be 20 to 25 ft. (6.1-7.6 m) deep. Strack’s portion of the work consists of laying approximately 84,000 ft. (25,603 m) of pipe, of which more than 32,000 ft. (9,753.6 m) of concrete storm drain pipe, ranging from 15 to 60 in. (38.1-152.4 cm), will be placed. The work is being done in phases as the land clearing is completed. Additionally the project requires a new roadway and bridgework, which is presently being built to divert traffic from the work site. According to Strack’s President Joe Strack, this was a big project with an accelerated schedule, so larger equipment was needed to complete the work within the designated deadline. The Komatsu PC750s were exactly what Strack’s crews needed. “By using some large excavators, we are able to overcome the deep digging we have to do out there,” Strack said. He added that the PC750 also has an excellent reputation for reliability. Strack exclusively buys his Komatsu equipment from Stith Equipment in Atlanta. In addition to concrete storm drain work, Strack is also laying sewer and water lines and is presently anticipating removal of the old road that traverses the center of the job site for completion of pipe laying. The majority of the work for Strack consists of water main and storm drain installation. Strack said the largest challenge has been staying on top of the schedule to ensure the drainage is in place to accommodate other portions of the project. “Driggs had about $16 million of equipment out there for moving dirt,” he said. “We had to get the drainage in place to keep the water off once grading was complete. They wanted it as quick as they could get it.” But Strack said that overall the project has been a success so far. “There is a lot of pipe in one area and the job has gone well for us,” he added. The project manager for the Austell project is Steve Carpenter and project superintendents are Buddy Watson and Tommy Gillian. Strack Inc. was founded in 1948. The family business is headquartered in Fairburn, GA. This story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.
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