Barriere & QSM Provide Drainage to State Highway Project in Plaquemines Parish on LA23
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The Louisiana Department of Transportation Development (LADOTD) awarded Barriere Construction Co., of Metairie, the public contract to install drainage, elevate and repave a seven mile stretch of Louisiana Hwy. 23 (LA23) in Plaquemines Parish.
QSM provided drainage supplies to Barriere, which called for round reinforced concrete pipe, reinforced concrete pipe arch, precast concrete catch basins, frames and grates.
Drainage was installed at 21 crossings between Ravenna Road and 2.4 miles south to Orange Lane. Barriere also ordered A-2000 PVC pipe from QSM. The A-2000 was used for temporary drainage on the detour roadway, while the concrete pipe and catch basins were installed for permanent drainage on the newly designed and rebuilt roadway.
The project began in July, 2013. It will be completed by the end of November.
“This job had a tough start to it because we had a design change late in the game,” said Josh Clement, a project manager at Barriere Construction.
“The state realized that in some sections of the roadway it would be better to install arched pipe rather than round pipe. We had to work quickly with QSM to get the change order in process, and get the pipe delivered in a timely fashion so we could keep the job on schedule.”
Clement says QSM was responsive to Barriere’s needs. He said, “QSM was able to get on the same page with us, and quickly understand what we needed to accomplish. It’s not always easy on large jobs, but delivery is key. We want to keep our crews working in order to finish projects in the timeline we say we will for our customer.”
In this case, keeping the project on time was vital because Highway 23 is a vital throughway for Plaquemines Parish.
The roadway runs from Venice, LA through Plaquemines Parish and into Jefferson Parish, which makes it one of the most vital pieces of highway infrastructure in South Louisiana — important for commerce, hurricane evacuations, and for the many heavy industries doing business in Plaquemines and on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish.
This heavy construction project was scoped to elevate and improve low lying sections of the roadway and to improve drainage. This section of the highway is being raised to prevent future flooding.
Total cost of the project was $10 million. Of that, 60% was allocated to asphalt paving, approximately 30% went to crushed rock and embankment, with the remainder being put into drainage.
Clement says he has been working with QSM for many years. He complements the QSM team for its ability and willingness “to be responsive, do their homework, and provide clear quotes.”
He says QSM’s ability to work in a collaborative fashion and understand project plans and logistics is key to successfully installing drainage on roadway and infrastructure projects.
When thinking about what makes for a good project, Clement says it’s the ability for all the responsible parties to come together, make site visits, look ahead and plan early — especially on large jobs.
When asked what Barriere brings to the table, Clement didn’t hesitate to respond. He says, “our philosophy as a company is that if you don’t have the time to do it right the first time, you won’t ever have the time to get it right a second time around.”
With that in mind, he says, “Barriere’s pledge is to do things right, to be clear in our thinking, and to give our customers what they want.”
In this case, giving their customer what they want is equivalent to giving the public what it wants. After all, this roadway is a vital link to thousands of people on any given day. Keeping it open and improving its use is of importance to everyone in the community.
Many people take roadway construction for granted, but Barriere works with area businesses as well as local and state government agencies to minimize potential downtime on each project.
With regards to Barriere’s partnership with QSM on this job, Clement said, “I have come to know the whole team at QSM. I work well with Jonathan Wilhite and Kyle Scullin. I trust these guys to understand my needs, and the needs of our customers.