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Jefferson Parish’s sporadic growth spurts in the 1950s and ‘60s created the drainage problems residents in some areas now face on a daily basis. Neighborhoods sprung up quickly, with new developments and thousands of home sites had to tie into an existing system that wasn’t designed for such rapid growth.

Pipes installed prior to 1981 were smaller than necessary and often times mismatched in size. Today the Parish is working through a comprehensive overhaul — a Drainage Master Plan — to rework outdated drain pipes in areas with the greatest needs.

Bunche Village is one of those neighborhoods.

Hard Rock Construction, LLC, of Metairie, was chosen to install an updated system in Bunche Village. Currently on the job site, Chris McLellan and his team from Hard Rock are in the area just south of Airline Drive, working to install more than 3,600 linear feet of pipe.

“This job has plenty of obstacles due to dealing with old infrastructure,” says McLellan, a project manager at Hard Rock. “But, it’s not anything we can’t work with. It’s just that you never know what you’re going to find when you start digging.”

McLellan says in some instances, they’re working in tight quarters, next to existing water and in some cases, gas lines. But, he also says, “This is where Hard Rock excels. We love working drainage projects, and our crews take pride on dealing with complexity, all while making things go smooth.”

In addition to installing reinforced concrete pipe on this project, Hard Rock also is dealing with A2000-PVC pipe, corrugated metal pipe for the outfalls, and catch basins, which they’re bricking in the field.

McLellan says, “QSM is great to work with. They deliver everything on time. They’re super knowledgable about the products, and have a great sense of what’s needed on Parish jobs.”

Shread-Kuyrkendall & Associates are the design engineers on this project. Streets include S. Wilson, S. Dilton and S. Elm. The project began on May 1, 2014 and has an expected completion date of late October.

“We have a great working relationship with all parties involved,” says McLellan, “the parish, the engineers, and our suppliers. This is the 4th parish drainage project we’ve completed in the past year. I know we’re good at this work, and I think the manner in which we perform shows.”

When asked what he thinks is a key to Hard Rock’s success stories, McLellan said, “It’s our ability to think quickly and adapt as needed.”